foo dog and puppys carving
I picked up this foo dog carving from an estate sale recently. It is 10" high, 12" wide, and 4" deep. It is very heavy and made from solid stone, not soap stone. It is extremely detailed, very very detailed. A master carved this. One large dog and three puppies. Large dog is stepping with one front paw on a large globe. Many other amazing details also.
I purchased it at an estate sale, the owner was a collector of sculptures, this one was far more unique then all the rest.
Other
Yes
Thank you for contacting Mearto. This is a Chinese carving of a foo dog (half lion/half dog mythological creature) with three puppies. In traditional iconography, there are usually two foo dogs as guardians in front of a temple, palace, or wealthy person’s home. They signify protection and prestige.
In the set, one is male and one female. The male always has a globe under his paw, symbolizing control. Your sculpture is unusual and playful because of the pups frolicking around him. It is difficult to determine the age of this piece; Chinese artisans repeat motifs over and over throughout the centuries. It could be 20th century or perhaps as early as 18th.
From your pictures, I think the material is nephrite jade. It is a commonly used stone for these kinds of works and is quite heavy. In very general terms, Chinese stones are valued higher with higher translucency, and you will find a range of colors and levels of opaqueness in nephrite work. These sculptures can be very valuable, although their hammer pieces vary. Based on sales of similar items, the Fair Market Value is between $500 and $800. Some similar pieces with sale prices:
$750
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/27759383_chinese-nephrite-jade-carved-foo-dog-with-vessel
$550
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/27584051_nephrite-carving-of-a-foo-dog
Dear Mr. Herrick,
I am sorry that you are not satisfied with my appraisal. I encourage your to see our terms of service page, where you can apply for a refund:
I do not understand your evaluation , the two pieces you cited are a completely different style, also they are a quarter of the size of my sculpture and no where near as detailed. On of the puppies on my sculpture is the equivalent of on of those small newer pieces. The style and look of my sculpture suggests older rather then newer. A highly skilled craftsman made my sculpture, there are ribbons of stone on it!!! Seriously? So disappointed in your service which is basically someone in a third world country searching ebay for similar items. There are very few pieces like mine out there so O understand your inability to put a proper value on it. But that just means it is that much more rare. Similar sized and sculpted pieces on ebay are going for over $100,000.00 you are a fucking idiot.