A very fine sardonyx group of two Buddhist lions and their cub, the male is carved with a broad muzzle, bulbous eyes, an incised mane, flaming haunches, a notched spine and sharply defined paws, his finely incised tail is flicked over the head of the female, whose features are also well defined. The cub clambers on its mother’s back and turns its head to face her. The whole is very well carved and the contrast in the stone is used intelligently: the female is worked all in white, which highlights the tail of the male and the cub on her back.

18th century
Length: 4”, 10.2 cm

This subject is rare in hardstone, being more commonly found in jade.