Bronze Foo Shishi- Edo ???

10 years later-found my little buddy out in the garage !
I'd love any guesses re his age-the tag on the base says 'Edo', but who knows ?
I believe he's bronze,weighs- 1 pound 5 oz. / he's 3 in. tall by 4 1/4 in wide.He was attached to some kind of metal/wood/stone base originally (see pic of sawed-off flange on base of paw).
I also included a closeup view of the interior cavity of the casting to ascertain age.
Sorry for all the pics, but fig it's best to estimate age-Thanks !

 

Very nice, bosko. The wear on the lion itself is good for Edo period imo.
Of course very little wear to the bottom, because that was protected by a base for most of its life.

 

Your input means a lot AJ,thanks ! I picked him up for $5 at a garage sale,guess the Seller never turned him over ?
PS-Any guesses on what an Edo Shishi would've traditionally been mounted on ?

 

Can you fit a finger into the hole in the base? If so, feel around and see if the metal seems thin and of even thickness.

 

sheshe's a beauty bosk

 

Wanna double yer money?

 

Tanks all for the compliments (& Shishi purrs, basking in all her feline glory).
@2manybooks - Yes,I'd say the bronze is thin & uniform in what parts of the statues interior I can reach-as a matter of fact,part of the casting has worn or fissured through near one of the lower feet (see pic below). A lot of the interior is filled w/ densely packed sand, ash or minerals (see pics).
What do you make of the grain of the metal ?-it vaguely reminds me of the fiddleback maple of an antique pistol (pic below).
Thanks & Kitty tanks too !

 

Tiger Maple, looks like to me...

 

I wonder what the feet were attached to...??

 

He is just missing the ball/pearl - likely that what was he was attached too.

 

Or the cub, if he is a she.

 

First thing my Lady said.

Yep

Here's a quick cut & paste of unverified web chatter-
"lions usually depicted in pairs. As statuary the pair would consist of a male leaning his paw upon an embroidered ball (in imperial contexts, representing supremacy over the world) and a female restraining a playful cub that is on its back (representing nurture)."
Here's another -
"The lions are always presented in pairs, a manifestation of yin and yang, the female representing yin and the male yang. The male lion has his right front paw on a type of cloth ball simply called an "embroidered ball" (繡球; xiù qiú), which is sometimes carved with a geometric pattern. The female is essentially identical, but has a cub under the left paw, representing the cycle of life. Symbolically, the female lion protects those dwelling inside (the living soul within), while the male guards the structure (the external material elements). Sometimes the female has her mouth closed, and the male open. This symbolizes the enunciation of the sacred word "om"."
Japanese,Korean & Chinese Foo can have different symbology and nuance-volumes could be written (& have been ) about this.
AI & WIKI (above info) probably got a few things right & much not-but as my brain atrophies,that's all I got !

 

Here's a tidbit for AJ (which she already knows)-
"As Japan entered the so-called “seclusion period” in 1603 when no one was allowed to enter or exit Japan, this trading permit would offer the Dutch the benefit to be the only people from West who were able to enter Japan and practice commerce within the country."
PS-Re: the Portuguese in Japan-the Japanese government, concerned about Christianity and the spread of Catholic influence, expelled the Portuguese in 1639. The Dutch, who initially faced competition from the Portuguese, were then granted exclusive trade rights at Dejima, an artificial island in Nagasaki Harbor.
*Portugal,Spain and the Catholic Church, ah yes.....

 

The Dutch weren't interested in converting people, only in trade.
....And of course in exploiting people, just like most colonial and economic powers, to this day.

 

Ain't it the truth? Spot On, AJ.

 

Well said,the Dutch have always had a deep humanist streak that has seemed to tolerate a variety of religious and philosophical beliefs, as a matter of fact-if ones 'mother country' were to become a tad too authoritarian, it would be a place 'one' might considering traveling to.

 

And, a very nice detail for a fan collector like yours truly, Dejima was shaped like the Shogun's fan.
The Shogun's architects came with one design after another, nothing was approved. In the end the Shogun threw his fan on the floor in exasperation and said, just build it. The architects took it to mean the island should be fan-shaped.

 

Which is why we're such a mixed lot. Nearly all Dutch have foreign ancestors.

 

Makes sense. It's odd how Portugal got off to such an early start exploration-wise and then just puttered off into kind of being a quaint 'backwater'.
PS-'Backwater' is a strong word-they did have true naval power for a hundred years,which maybe aint' bad for such a small country-it's nothing compared to the Venetian Empire which lasted for 1100 years !

 

They did a very good job, and were often the first Europeans wherever they went. True explorers. It is amazing how two small countries on the edge of Europe were once the best European explorers and traders.

Venice had a very favourable spot in the Med, which was a great help. But also amazing if you consider its start as a marshland hiding place for refugees. Those refugees built a unique empire.