Guardian Lion (c. 600): Art, History and Details

Guardian Lion (c. 600) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Lion sculptures like this example are often found at the entrance to Buddhist temples in China. It may seem as if they are there to protect the temple. Lions also have had strong associations with Buddhism since the religion’s origin; the dharma, or Buddhist doctrine, is said to be spread through his roar.

Object facts

• Title: Guardian Lion
• Date: c. 600
• Culture: China, Tang dynasty (618–907)
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: white marble
• Dimensions: Overall: 78.8 cm (31 in.); Base: 49.6 x 41.8 cm (19 1/2 x 16 7/16 in.)
• Collection: China - Tang Dynasty
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 1965.473

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Cleveland Museum of Art, “Golden Anniversary Acquisition,” 1965, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.
• The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
• Stechow, Wolfgang. "Cleveland's Golden Anniversary Acquisitions." ARTNews 65, no. 5 (September 1966): 30-44, 62-64.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.