Chinese Antique Hand Carved Marble "Lokapala" Guardian Sculpture

China, a monumental pair (2) of 500 year old lime stone “Spirit Path” Equine horse head sculptures. Ming dynasty, (1368-1644 CE). A pair of near life size and robust head sections with fine, wavy combed manes, well defined mouths, ears, nostrils, and ornamental bridles, all carved in a medium to dark gray limestone with considerable weathering to surfaces. The smaller head with a later inscription on bottom and signed “Zhuang”. Formerly exhibited “Treasures from Asia”, Shelburne Vermont, Shelburne Art Center, 2006. Originally found in the vicinity of the village of Chuan near Luoyang City, Henan Provance, China. Each mounted on a custom iron display stand. Dimensions: A the smaller 32.5cm, 13” high and 62.5cm, 25” in length and with display stand, 60cm, 24” high; b the larger 37.5cm, 15” high and 67.5cm, 27” in length and with display stand 65cm, 26” high. Please view additional photographs from our Chinese antiquities catalog 35 Years Collecting 35 Treasures, page 60. History: Placing stone animals and human figures along spirit paths in front of important tombs can be traced back at least to the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE), some two thousand years ago. In ancient times, stone animals and human figures placed before imperial tombs symbolized royal power and privilege in addition to decorative functions. Life size “spirit path” stone horse sculptures are known and can be viewed from Ming dynasty tombs including thirteen imperial tombs of the Ming Dynasty scattered over an area of forty square kilometers in Changping District to the northwest of Beijing. The first Ming tomb...

China Monumental Pair (2) Antique Stone “Spirit Pathway” Tigers, middle Qing period 1750-1850. Please view our video. Dimensions: 115cm, 46” high and 60cm, 24” in width. Likely utilized as spirit pathway tomb markers, these powerful, benign carved sitting effigies perched on haunches and front paws with round heads and faces exposing defined eye sockets, ears and two fangs a top bases that feature curled tails on side each whole atop a block shaped base and hand-carved from limestone whose surfaces show considerable weatherization from exposure and good age. Reference: 35 Years Collecting 35 Treasures, Schneible Fine Arts catalog Number 30, p. 66. Provenance: originally found in Fujian Province. Fujian has the distinction of being home to China’s last remaining wild tigers and famous “tiger” mountain. No wonder then that these early stone works...

A Chinese hand carved and hand painted wooden effigy of a fantastic Bixie dating to before Song dynasty 1279 AD. Please enjoy the beautiful remnants of its aged original swirling painted surfaces. It has been traditionally carved and assembled in three sections. The tail may be a later replacement. Period: Song dynasty Dimensions: 6 inches high and 15 inches wide About Bixie The “bixie” is a mythological creature commonly thought to be able to ward off evil forces with its magical powers. In fact, its name means “to ward off evil” in Chinese. In the Han dynasty, “bixie” were commonly represented as winged, four-legged beasts, a form that was probably transmitted from Western Asia. Provenance: This is from a private collection and were acquired by us along with a larger wooden horse...

Rare one-of-a-kind hand carved sculpture Japan a rare large old hand carved stone Kappa folk art garden water deity or river child- protector for children along waters’ edge. Kappa ...

A Chinese Qing Dynasty period carved stone foo dog guardian lion from the 19th century, on square base. Created in China during the Qing Dynasty, this st...

The features of this stone Foo lion has been softened by being exposed to the elements for many centuries. Still a very handsome sculptural specimen made from carved stone, it is kno...

This pair of monumental Fu-Lions, also known as shizi, once would have flanked the entrance to a Qing-dynasty home in China’s Shanxi province. One has a pearl under its foot, and the...

Often referred to as “Fu Dogs” in western culture, these handsome stone sentinels are iconic gatekeepers seen throughout China and elsewhere in Asia. Traditional symbols of protectio...