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A Japanese lion dog
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A Japanese lion dog
Plaster, hollow.
Museum number: M211
On display: Basement South Passage
All spaces are in No. 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields unless identified as in No. 12, Soane's first house.
For tours https://www.soane.org/your-visit
Curatorial note
The Soane Museum AB inventory (1837) describes M210 (the pair to this one, now sadly missing - probably broken during the 19th century) as 'A Grotesque animal, (Japanese?), plaster' and this one as 'Another, the companion to 210. Plaster'.
In Sir John Soane's 1835 Description of his house he describes M210 and M211 as two 'antique heraldic monsters' so he clearly did not know their origin or significance.
The pair of dogs was displayed in the basement in Soane's time, as today, facing each other within what was once a window opening. In order to be able to regain the visual impact of this original display a very similar, slightly smaller dog, in ceramic, was purchased in 2010 (SM X1333) and the two are now displayed together.
In Sir John Soane's 1835 Description of his house he describes M210 and M211 as two 'antique heraldic monsters' so he clearly did not know their origin or significance.
The pair of dogs was displayed in the basement in Soane's time, as today, facing each other within what was once a window opening. In order to be able to regain the visual impact of this original display a very similar, slightly smaller dog, in ceramic, was purchased in 2010 (SM X1333) and the two are now displayed together.
Provenance
Unknown but in Soane's collection by c.1834.
Associated items
X1333, another similar
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