Chinese Temple Pillar with Foo Lion Motif

The lion is carrying a passenger, who appears delighted.

This temple pillar with a foo lion motif comes from Hebei Province, China, and dates to the 18th century. It is carved from stone. Stone pillars and guardian lions marked the entrances and courtyards of Chinese temples, where builders and patrons set them to ward off harm and announce the status of the place. Here the beast crouches at the top of a square shaft, curly-maned and wide-eyed, with a small grinning figure in a cap clinging to its head. Scrolling relief decorates the shaft below. The stone looks weathered, grey and rust by turns. Thirty-eight inches high.

Two faces on watch. Only one of them is enjoying it.