Monumental Pair Of Singha Guardian Lions In Gilded Bronze – Siam, 18th Century

An important pair of antique Thai guardian lions, known as Singha, cast in heavy bronze and retaining extensive traces of their original fire gilding.

These two monumental sculptures, each slightly over one meter tall, belong to the decorative and religious tradition of ancient Siam. Singha were placed in pairs at the entrances to temples and sacred buildings to symbolically ensure their protection.

Both figures display powerful modeling, wide-open mouths, stylized manes, and strongly defined musculature. Beneath the tail appears a Buddhist motif in relief resembling a sacred wheel.

Close examination of the surfaces reveals ancient amalgam gilding, traces of hand-burnishing, deep coppery oxidation, and ancient mineral deposits in the recesses of the castings. The difference in weight between the two sculptures illustrates the artisanal nature of the lost-wax casting process.

Thailand, Kingdom of Siam.
Early Rattanakosin period, late 18th–early 19th century.

Singha A: H 103 × W 44 cm – 38 kg
Singha B: H 104 × W 44 cm – 49.6 kg
Total weight: 87.6 kg

Bronze with a high copper content, original fire gilding, and temple patina.