A VERY LARGE SANCAI-GLAZED PAIR OF BUDDHIST LIONS, QING DYNASTY China, 18th century. Cast seated on separate openwork bases and entirely covered in lustrous emerald-green, aubergine and amberyellow glaze. The fierce lions with deeply incised curly manes, a prominent urna on their foreheads, one holding his paw above a brocade ball and the other above a cub. Note the fine detail to their belts with suspended bells and central lion mask. (4) Provenance: According to the present owner, this pair of Sancai Lions was acquired by his great-great-grandfather, a member of the Von Goretzki family, in the early 1800s to guard the entrance of the family castle in Poland. The translated provenance statement reads as follows: "My father's grandmother told us children that the Sancai Lions - she would call them 'foo dogs' - have been in the Goretzki family's possession for a long time. The Goretzki are an old noble family from Silesia. The 'foo dogs' could be seen in the background of a painting of my grandfather's grandfather. This great-great-grandfather held the title of a count and was a cavalry captain in the regiment of Christian Ludwig Schimmelpfennig von der Oye (1738-1812) around 1800. Unfortunately, almost all pictures and paintings were lost as we fled from the Red Army in 1945. My grandfather was shot to death and my grandmother, on the run with the servants and maids, was able to take only few valuable items, such as the silverware and a few paintings and art objects, including the 'foo dogs' which my father and subsequently I would inherit." Condition: Superb condition with no restoration whatsoever. Minor hairlines here and there as well as chips and small losses. Some weathering and little calcification. Overall this author would argue that these are by far the best preserved ever to appear on the market. Weight: 78 kg (the pair) Dimensions: Height 101 cm each 一對大型三彩佛獅，清代 中國，十八世紀。卷眉，大眼隆鼻，獅口微張，脖戴套環，上有鈴鐺，神態威風凜凜，不怒自威，極其傳神，坐於方形高台之上。一只獅子举着爪子擱在缎球上，另一只獅子爪子按着幼崽。台座上沿有捲草紋，上下兩層有蓮瓣紋，胎體厚重。 來源：据目前的藏家所説，這對三彩獅子是他的來自Von Goretzki家族的曾曾祖父收藏。他曾在1800年代初期保衛波蘭家庭城堡的入口。經翻譯的來源聲明如下："我父親的祖母告訴我們這些孩子，三彩獅子（她稱它們為"傻瓜狗"）已經存在於Goretzki家族很長一段時間了。 Goretzki家族是來自西里西亞的古老貴族家族。在我曾曾祖父的畫中，可以看到"傻瓜狗們"。這位曾曾祖父擁有伯爵頭銜，並在1800年左右成為Ludwig Schimmelpfennig von der Oye (1738-1812) 團的騎兵隊長。不幸的是，1945年當我們逃離紅軍時，幾乎所有的照片和繪畫都丟失了。我的祖父被槍殺致死，祖母與僕人和女傭一起逃亡，只能拿走一些貴重物品，例如銀器，一些繪畫和藝術品，其中包括"傻瓜狗們"，後來我父親和我繼承了他們。" 品相：極好的狀態，無任何修復。局部細小髮絲裂縫以及小缺損。有一些風化和很少的鈣化。總體而言之，我們認為這些是迄今為止市場上保存最完好的三彩獅子。 重量：一對78 公斤 尺寸：各高101 厘米