Author Topic: Antique Fu Dog/Lion Head  (Read 1245 times)

junosama

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Antique Fu Dog/Lion Head
« on: July 03, 2011, 10:26:52 am »
I bought this wooden fu dog head today at a flea market, at least im 99 percent sure that's what it is. It looks pretty old but you never know so I thought I'd ask for your opinion. I've never seen a large single wooden fu dog head like this before. Most of the time it's smaller metal or ceramic statues in pairs.

It stands almost 15 inches tall. I took a chance on it because i saw a couple nails in one ear that looks very old and rusty. I'm pretty sure its solid wood cause its very heavy probably 20-30lbs. Let me know what you guys think. The lady said it might have come from a carnival but they didnt even know it as a fu dog so im not sure. I think its an odd subject matter for a carnival especially if it was in the USA, but it does appear it was once painted blue and red and maybe white.



this pic is of the bottom


mart

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Re: Antique Fu Dog/Lion Head
« Reply #1 on: July 03, 2011, 11:52:00 am »
Well,, you can see the growth rings on the bottom so we agree that its wood. From what I could tell of the bottom,, it looked like ash to me but hard to tell from pics.  More than that I do not know !!  I like it though,, its different !!

talesofthesevenseas

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Re: Antique Fu Dog/Lion Head
« Reply #2 on: July 03, 2011, 08:40:14 pm »
It looks very authentic and old to me. Good find. Although there are a lot of fake Chinese antiques out there, this one does not look like one. The wear, the damage, faded paint all look good. Even with the damage I think your foo dog is terrific. It is really hard to put a value on something like this, because although genuine wooden foo dogs can be highly sought after, you have only one of the pair and only the head, plus it is damaged. However, this one is still quite charming and attractive just as it is and I could easily see a couple of people getting into a bidding war over it. It is also possible that your foo never had a body, that he/she was an architectural feature. They are always in pairs though, one male and one female. If you got it at a flea market, I bet you got a good deal.
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waywardangler

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Re: Antique Fu Dog/Lion Head
« Reply #3 on: July 03, 2011, 09:06:09 pm »
With the way the base appears, I do not think it was ever attached to a body.

junosama

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Re: Antique Fu Dog/Lion Head
« Reply #4 on: July 04, 2011, 05:13:08 am »
Thanks for the info, I only paid $60 for it and since I love fu dogs it was an easy buy for me. I agree on the fact that it was probably never on a body and also think it was more of an architectural piece that was attached to something. If it did have a body this thing would have be rather large based on the size of the head.

Either way, it will make a really nice display and conversation piece. I'm lucky to live 15 minutes from a pretty nice flea market that is open every weekend.