Porcelain Lion Lamps
First Floor:
- Mrs. Benjamin N. Duke (painting)
- Benjamin N. Duke (painting)
- Tending The Flock (painting)
- Beach Scene (painting)
- Mary L. Duke (painting)
- Angier B. Duke (painting)
- William K. Boyd (painting)
- Thomas J. Jarvis (painting)
- Washington Duke (painting)
- Duke University in Picture (book)
- Bessie Whitted Spence (painting)
- Benjamin N. Duke (painting)
- James H. Southgate (painting)
- Grand Master Clock
- Eva Earnshaw Malone (painting)
- Benjamin N. Duke (marble bust)
- Library Table
Second Floor:
- James A. Thomas and Two Eunuchs (photograph)
- Dorothy Quincy Hancock Read (photograph)
- Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek (photograph)
- Sarah P. Duke (painting)
- Mary Duke Lyon (painting)
- The Reapers (painting)
- Marble Lions (statues)
Thomas Room:
- James A. Thomas (painting)
- Porcelain Urns with Mythical Beasts
- Embroidered Bedspread
- Chinese Rug
- Ishii Vases
- Carved Chests
- Wei To (embroidery)
- Elderly Man (scroll)
- People in Outdoor Setting (scroll)
- Lady in Red (scroll)
- Calligraphy (scroll)
- Porcelain Lion Lamps
- Table with Marble Top
- Cheang Park Chew (painting)
- Porcelain Urns with Lids
- Chinese Cabinet
- Imperial Robe
- Coromandel Screen
- Teakwood Tables
- Altar Table
- Embroidered Scroll with Nine Figures
- Winter Landscape (ink on silk)
Porcelain Lion Lamps, Date from mid-Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), 18" tall (35" tall including lampshade)
A pair of green porcelain lions from the same period, mid-Qing Dynasty, are mounted as lamps and stand on the bookshelves on the east wall, opposite the Coromandel screen.
Although the Chinese consider them to be lions [rarely seen in China], their short, thick bodies more closely resemble Pekinese dogs, which became popular at the Imperial Court of the Qing Dynasty [1644-1912]. They are Buddhist symbols of wisdom, valor, and energy. In the west the shizi have been called "Dogs of Fo" [Dogs of Buddha]. They always appear in pairs. The female can be recognized by the young cub under her left paw. The male (pictured) is identified by the ball or "sun-sphere" under his right paw.
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