Lioness with cub

This white nephrite sculpture was only recognized recently to be the earliest of Gulbenkian’s Chinese hardstones. Calouste obvious held it in high esteem given his choice to juxtapose it with his precious Islamic jade jug (inv. 328) in a prominent display case in his Parisian living room.

Jade comes in a variety of colors and white ‘mutton-fat’ nephrite was the most highly praised and prized. The energetic female lion is portrayed interacting joyfully with a small cub on its back. This combination of mother and child probably originally had a male pair playing with a ball (inv. 329 A/B).

According to Feng Shui, the female protecting a cub represents the Yin (on the left), while the male with a ball, symbolizes the Yang (right). The portrayal of a large and small lion can also be interpreted as ‘May you and your descendants achieve high rank’.