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Is this a Kylin? Any info about this type of painting would be appreciated. Thanks, Rick

I believe that's a Buddhistic lion or lion dog, also known as fu or foo dog and sometimes "Dog of Fo" (Dog of Buddha). One giveaway is that your creature has paws. The "kylin" (pinyin qilin) has hooves like an ox and one horn in the middle of its head, though I see some with more horns that are still called "qilin".

Here are a couple of images of the qilin in bronze, the first being an 18th or early 19th century Chinese piece and the other 20th century Japanese, but copied from a Ming sculpture. In Japan they call the creature a kirin, like the beer.

Best regards,

Bill H.

Question: Isn't the second figure a dragon horse?
Ernest

No, definitely not a 'dragon horse' but a Japanese 'kirin' (same characters as Kylin or Qilin). This particular style was derived from a Ming prototype. Here's another view of the kirin in the bottom of a Japanese bowl.

Best regards,

Bill H.

Here's a poor second generation reproduction of a photocopy sent to me by a friend some years ago, showing a Ming-period bronze Qilin censer similar to the one already posted but about twice the size at nearly two feet tall.

And that's all I have on the subject today.

Bill H.

Thanks Bill H. Now I have to look at some items again with different eyes.
Ernest

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