Where was the incense burned on this lion?
The incense would have been placed inside the lion. Cloisonne vessels are hollow on the inside, as the colored enamel is fused to a metal shell.
Elaborate cloisonne incense burners were made and used during the Qing dynasty. A number, including this one, were created for Buddhist temples or shrines.
Oh yes. I see the opened panel underneath. Thanks.
What was this used for and how was it made?
This is one of a pair of lions and it was used as an incense burner in a Buddhist context. It was made in the Kangxi period of Qing Dynasty China.
It's made in the cloisonne technique, which is an ancient metalwork technique that makes use of small, precious metal wires and colorful glass enamels to create brilliant works of art. The metal wires are bent into shapes to create small cells, that kinda create pockets in between the designs, and many coats of finely ground glass enamel are fired into them, eventually producing a coherent whole.
How do these two differ?
The ceramic lion-dog was made in 18th-19th century Japan and the cloisonné lion-dog was made in 17th-18th century China. They both show the same mythical creature in different media by artists of different regions and periods, both modeled off of an interpretation of a lion by people who had likely never seen a real lion before. This imagery was important to Buddhism.
They are made in very different materials and for quite different purposes. The Japanese ceramic is purely decorative and the Chinese cloisonné is an incense burner. The Chinese cloisonné incense burner was originally part of a pair that would have flanked the doorway in a Buddhist temple. There is an opening in the bottom for the incense, and the smoke would have come out through the mouth of the animal.
Why do depictions of lions in East Asian cultures have such round faces and manes that are close to the head, as opposed to the more ferocious depictions with scraggly manes in the West?
Great question! Partially it comes down to what different cultures wanted to convey iconographically. In Buddhist tradition, a pair of lions guards the entrance to the Buddhist religious space. Lions like this one are beyond-animals. They have fantastical elements that heighten their role as protectors, and are an iconic symbol of Buddha.
¿Qué es esto?
Este es una figura de un "león perro". Es uno de un par que haría guardia en un templo budista. ¡Es un incensario también! Cuando colocas el incienso dentro del cuerpo, el humo escapa por la boca.