"Pair Of Carved Wooden Lion Panels. Edo Period - 1603-1868)."
The panels are very thick and very heavy, they are powerfully carved in great depth with Buddhist lions evolving among tree peonies, symbol of immortality. The Buddhist lions, Shishi in Japanese, are the guardians of Buddhism. The sculpture is powerful. There remain traces of polychromy, the whole must have been entirely painted. The wood is very heavy, it must be Hinoki, a resinous tree close to our cypress. They have not been maintained for years, a dusting and good wax would sublimate them. Impossible to date precisely, Edo period (1603-1868) but perhaps before. Dimensions: 108x43x10cm Good condition, indestructible. Caution, very heavy, 18kg each.