A Chinese soapstone carving of guardian lions or foo dogs with a cub dating from the 18th to 19th centuries.

Dimensions are: 1 1/4 inches tall X 1 1/2 inches wide. All measurements are approximate.

Condition: One leg is broken off, there is a large chip in the back, and there are numerous areas of smaller chipping and dings.

Provenance: From a collector in Washington D.C. Her father in law (Nelson T Johnson) was sent to China by the US State Department in 1906 and was a US ambassador to the Republic of China from 1935 to 1941. After he left China he became an ambassador to Australia. In 1946 he became the head of the Asian Department in the US State Department. The woman's husband was also born in the Marine hospital in Peking in 1933.

High resolution images can be found at: https://file.ac/LY1lr4acoyY/