Tang dynasty marble lion.
Tang dynasty marble lion.
On monday june 19 at 8 7c pm on pbs antiques roadshow revisits albuquerque appraisals from 2002 that have been updated with today s market value including a fan favorite tang dynasty marble lion that moved the expert to tears.
Has time impacted the value of this rare find.
Lion sculptures were commonly found in front of palaces tombs government offices temples and the homes of the wealthy during the tang dynasty.
The white marble chinese lion was carved between 618 and 907 a d.
Lark mason senior vice president of sotheby s appraised the item at 250 000 and said he was almost speechless when confronted with the item.
The white marble material was also rarely seen in north china he added.
Tv g the full episode is no longer available for online streaming.
This dates from the golden period of chinese art which is called the tang dynasty between the sixth century and the ninth century.
In this clip from vintage albuquerque asian arts expert lark mason appraises a tang dynasty marble lion.
The broad back is carved with a thick rectangular platform to serve as a base or support.
People believed their presence had special protective benefits.
Now right in antiques roadshow s studio lark had the opportunity to appraise one of these incredible artifacts in person.
The original half human half lion sphinx is believed to have been built by egyptians 5 000 years ago.
A very rare marble lion support tang dynasty ad 618 907 the lion is shown in a recumbent pose with head raised and jaws open with large eyes glaring fiercely straight ahead.