Sancai foo dog

[wk]

Got this foo dog or lion from an antique store but wonder if it's actually old.
I found some dating back to Kangxi but was unable to find one similar to this one.

The pedestal he's on is brown with an oil like glow. And there is a holder to put in incense sticks I presume.
Thank you!

[Stan]

Mid 20th century, the eyes and the decoration and the bottom point to a later period.

[peterp]

If that is real iridescence shown in the bottom picture and is not some remains of a chemical used for cleaning, then it should be possible to remove it by immersion in warm water. If genuine the iridescence should appear again over time; that would mean it is a hundred years old at least. Otherwise it may be later.
Usually they come in pairs, the one with the paw on the ball is the male. What is that tubular device? Would it be suitable for holding an incense stick?
Figures with this type of glaze are usually not from Jingdezhen. Most likely this would be either Shiwan kiln (Guangdong) or Taiwan Jiaozhi (aka Koji, Cochin) pottery. If it has a high ring it is porcelain. Both kilns are still producing figurines today.

Reference for Jiaozhi ware:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochin_ware
www.cabcy.gov.tw/Koji/english/new.asp

Addition:
I now think it is likely from southern China, and probably late Qing dynasty.
Here is the result of an image search done in Chinese for sancai lions (foo dogs) of the late Qing dynasty. There is even one which is obviously from the same place, or even batch:
tinyurl.com/hgto52q

[Stan]

Good point Peter, I did not catch the iridescence in that last photo, I was more focused on the bottom, no cloth pattern on the bottom, the eyes on the older ones were made separate from the head and weighted at lest on the large foo-lions, the smaller ones were not so, this must be a smaller one and the detail just seemed so and so, my experience with the iridescence comes from Japanese Awaji ware, they were known for their bright and iridescent colors that was caused by adding lead in their glazes, the iridescence was instant after the firing, you did not need to wait 100 years,  it makes sense that the iridescence could be washed off, lead is very soft and easily removed from the surface and then over time from humidity it could seep out onto the surface again, I would like to know more about  the hundred year wait before iridescence to form, is lead that much more different than the Japanese glazes or did the Japanese put a lot more lead into their glazes to get instant iridescence?

[peterp]

Stan, I do not really know anything about Japanese glazes. It is just that the lions (foo dogs) are more plenty in China.  This one resembles a Chinese one. See the link added in my previous post.

PS:  To the Japanese the lion is probably more of an auspicious animal only.
I do not know where the English name "foo dog" comes from, but foo would mean luck, good fortune. In Japan you will often see a playful pair as a decoration. Although that is sometimes also the case in China, more often than not they are found on both sides of gates, entrances, etc. -  they are guardians which ward off evil. In China they are normally called "lions", not dogs.

[Stan]

Thanks Peter.

[wk]

I tried cleaning the bottom with some warm water. I soaked the left halve for about 15 minutes and cleaned it with a cloth. Not much difference but I don't want to go scrubbing. There is much sticker residue on the corners as well.

I indeed think it's to hold incense sticks. The openings is about an inch deep and then there's much dust and ashes perhaps. Don't know if it's any deeper, didn't stick anything in to measure, but could be. Hope the photo gives some idea.

Also took a picture of the inside of the stand.

Thank you both!

[Stan]

Thanks for the additional photo's this indeed looks old, inside the base there is a hole for the foo lion, can you see inside the foo lion, you should be able to see evidence that it was hand shaped, you should be able to see finger marks.

[peterp]

You can not see the finger marks, Stan, because it is fixed on a base, and therefore not fully open below.

[wk]

Indeed, it is too small for that. I forgot to mention the size but the height is only 24cm, 9.5 inches. And it's quite a narrow piece.

So late Qing then, great! And thank you both again for the information!