Chinese Seated Female Guardian Lion with Forepaw Resting on Cub

A lioness rests a paw on her cub, and the cub looks very pleased about it.

This seated female guardian lion with forepaw resting on cub is from China, is contemporary, and is carved in boxwood. In Chinese tradition, guardian lions are made in pairs, and the female is generally shown with a cub, often interpreted as a symbol of nurture. The mane is a thick fall of tight curls around a broad, open-mouthed face with long ribboned whiskers. A collar with a dragon-faced pendant and a small bell sits at the chest. At her front paw, a small cub with curled hair rests. The wood is a dark brown with a polished sheen. It is 4 inches wide, 2.5 deep and 4 high.

Fierce on the outside, and plainly a good mother.