Ding-Type Figure Of A Shi-Shi Dog

Northern Song/Jin Dynasty 12th-13th Century
High-Fired stoneware
Hebei Province, Northern China.
H: 8cm

This seated Shi-shi dog was originally once part of a pair, often one is a male holding a ball and the other is a female with a cub, they are normally placed at an entrance of a temple. These stylized lions were believed to protect the temple from harmful spirits. The male figure here is shown with its paw on an embroidered ball, representing supremacy over the world.

Provenance: 
• Old English Collection