Featured Chinese Lion Dance Bronze

Anyone know anything about this yellow bronze lion dance figure. 10 inches tall.

 

I only know that I love it.

 

Really AJ?

Well, if you don't know, who is going to?????



(I can understand the love!)

 

I think it is brass and not bronze.
He's cool.

What does the plug look like? Are the prongs the same size? Or is one larger than the other?

 

it's nice , but i'm not seeing bronze...and it looks like it may have had a base.....

 

I think it is lovely as well. I also tend to think it is brass, not bronze. The electric cable looks old, but is it fabric or plastic covered? I agree with komokwa and think it had a base, perhaps one of those round or square Chinese wooden types that would also allow the cable to pass through it like you see in Asian lamps today. It's had lots of use as shown around the on/off switch and the deeper patina on top of the lion's head.
Can you post pics of inside the bulb socket?
One other observation is that it looks like he is about to put the lion head on, or has just taken it off after doing the Lion Dance. The way his head is slightly tilted and his two hands on either side of the lion head are just so accurate and detailed. Whoever molded it was really quite talented.

 

Shishimai dancer, I googled but didn’t see any in bronze or brass, only netsuke and such.

 

You would, because Shishimai is Japanese, so only represented in Japanese art, like netsuke.

Judging from the clothing, typical twin knot hairstyle, and general style of the piece, this is a Chinese boy and Chinese made. Probably a boy who wants to be a dancer when he grows up.

 

When folks declare that a nonferrous object is definitely one alloy or another, from a few photos only, the statements should be politely disregarded. You cannot tell for sure from a few photos only. You are just as welcome to disregard my guesses, but in this case my “educated guess” on this item’s base metal is spelter. There are small clues in some of the photos, such as silvery-looking hole edges, a bit of white oxidation, and staining on the cord where it enters the casting. Knowing the context helps too. For example, a lamp manufacturer would be much less likely to use bronze than spelter, since if he used bronze, his lamps would be have to be sold for prices higher than most lamp customers want to pay. I think this spelter casting was plated to look like bronze, artificially patinated, and some former owner polished it, removing most of the dark patination.

 

Nice objevt