Lion (100s–200s CE): Art, History and Details

Lion (100s–200s CE) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

Roaring lions such as this have been found on the throne of Kushan kings. Early sculptures of the Buddha also show him seated on a lion throne, and the roar of his teachings (dharma) extends throughout the world.

Object facts

• Title: Lion
• Date: 100s–200s CE
• Culture: Northern India, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura, Kushan period
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: sandstone
• Dimensions: Overall: 47 cm (18 1/2 in.)
• Collection: Indian Art - Kushan, Mathura
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 1952.514

Collection credit

Edward L. Whittemore Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Ward, William. "Kushan Lion." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 41, no. 1 (January 1954): 15-16.
• The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
• The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.

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.