Pairs of hand carved natural stone Chinese Lions for sale now, in stock at our Ohio warehouse and ready for immediate shipping.

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We offer hand carved natural stone Chinese foo dog lions for sale on this website, as well as some information about the historical significance of these sculptures! We only sell sculptures carved from solid blocks of natural marble, granite, or slate – guaranteed! Not molded in any way, natural stone removed from a mountain before being carved by hand!

Chinese lions, often called foo dogs, first began to appear in China during the Han Dynasty, about 200 BC, with the introduction of Buddhism into China, and over the next several centuries these Buddhist symbols became important symbols of the Chinese imperial family’s power and unity with heaven, often decorating public buildings and the homes of high level state officials, and today can be seen protecting the gates of the Chinese Imperial family’s palaces throughout China, and protecting the entrances of many businesses and private homes, because traditional Chinese lions are said to bring good luck to the owner, absorbing negative energy and bringing harmony, balance, and prosperity. Chinese foo dog lions are also an important component of the practice of Feng Shui, the philosophy of arranging one’s living spaces to create a natural and harmonious environment.

All the lions we sell on this website are matching male and female pairs – the male lion has his foot on a representation of a brocade ball, and the female lion has her foot on a stylized baby lion flipped over on its back. Chinese lions are in fact unique Chinese stylized versions of male lions, and can be thought of as positive and negative elements of the Yin/Yang – each a balance to the other, and this is why Chinese artists who make these pairs of sculptures using traditional designs often refer to matching pairs as male and female, even though both lions are technically male (with a mane of hair).

Representations of fierce Chinese lions are a popular design motif seen in Buddhist temples throughout the world, sometimes carved into the beams and rooftops as decoration and are believed to ward off evil, but the design of Chinese foo dog lions is unique to China. Although lions were given as gifts to the Chinese emperor as gifts for his private zoo, lions are not native to China, so this stylized design is though to have evolved from second and third hand interpretations of what lions must look like, and the Buddhist artists who made the first lion sculptures in this design to decorate and protect temples and alters probably never actually saw an actual live lion in person.

One lion (that is commonly referred to as the male) rests his paw on a representation of a pearl of wisdom, and other (the female) on a representation of life force in the form of a highly stylized little baby lion cub flipped over, vulnerable, on its back. Chinese stories and legends suggest that Chinese lions actually have nipples on their feet to feed their young ones, and this idea is represented in these sculptures. Chinese artwork confirms that Chinese foo dog lions love to chase around for pearls of wisdom (spheres) because they, like many types of Chinese dragons, are Devine and sometimes mischievous beasts that inhabit the heavens and sometimes descend to Earth. In parts of China, one can sometimes see large red balls left in fields by Chinese farmers, put there specifically to invite Chinese foo dogs to play with them, bringing with them good luck and a bountiful harvest.

It would take a Buddhist ceremony performed by monks to bring the spirit inside each lion to life with prayer, singing and chanting, and finally painting the eyes, we advise every owner of Chinese lion sculptures that it is best to keep them happy and position them in a place of honor – an entrance is a great place for Chinese foo dog lions, as is the base of a stairway, or at the entrance to a property. Our family has large stone Chinese lions sculptures at every door, and we never fail to give them a kind word and a pat on the head as we walk past them, and we honor them with a fresh ribbon or bow around their necks on special occasions so they look their best, or by placing a flower or pretty rock on or beside them, to keep the spirit that may reside inside each lion content.

Some of the stone lions that we sell sit on a plinth shaped rectangular base carved with representations of chrysanthemum flowers, in a design made to look like a cloth placed over an alter in a Chinese temple. Chinese stories and legends suggest that when the lions are placed on a small Chinese coin in a business, they can bring wealth and prosperity to the owner. As a flourish of the carver’s talent, each lion in a traditional pair of Chinese lions has a hand carved moveable ball carved within its mouth which cannot be removed (all of the Chinese foo dog lion sculptures that we sell on this website are hand carved with moveable balls within each lion’s mouth). Legend has it that turning the ball over inside the lion’s mouth three times will bring good luck!

In stock at our warehouse in Ohio and ready for shipping within a day or two by UPS, all of our exquisite natural stone lions were handmade as matching pairs by master carvers exclusively for our shop near Beijing, and we brought them to the United States in very small batches more than 20 years ago – and they have been crated in our warehouse ever since!  Our 12″ white marble stone lions are completely hand carved from natural solid white marble stone, not molded or cast in any way – guaranteed!

If you have any questions or would like to inquire about natural stone Chinese foo dog lions in other sizes and stone types, we stock hundreds of pairs of hand carved stone lions in several designs at our warehouse in Ohio. Please give us a call at (740) 707 9098 and we’d be delighted to help you select the perfect pair as a gift for a loved one, or for your home or business.