Indian Base for Column with Lion Motif

Lions with heavy-lidded, beady eyes keep a polite watch on either side of a carved drum.

This base for column with lion motif is Jain, from Kutch District, Gujarat, India, and dates to the 19th century. It is carved marble. Western Indian Jain temples are known for their profusion of carved marble, where even structural elements such as column bases receive guardian faces and running ornament. Here the white marble block has a projecting half-round drum at the center, carved with a row of small pointed niches. On either side, a lion mask with bulbous eyes and curling foliate whiskers sits on a band of upright leaves. It is 27.5 inches wide, 10 deep and 6 high.

Decorative, protective and entirely load bearing.