Raphael Machiels
Associate Specialist
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European Private Collection of French Faience
Lot 149
Très grand chien de Fô en faïence de Nevers, vers 1660-80
A very large Nevers Fu-Dog, circa 1660-1680
A very large Nevers Fu-Dog, circa 1660-1680
30 – 31 October 2025, 14:00 CET
Paris, Avenue HocheSold for €3,584 inc. premium
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Nette Megens
Head of Department, Director
Sebastian Kuhn
Department Director
Sophie von der Goltz
Head of Sale
Très grand chien de Fô en faïence de Nevers, vers 1660-80
A very large Nevers Fu-Dog, circa 1660-1680
A very large Nevers Fu-Dog, circa 1660-1680
Modelled seated on a plinth decorated with scrollwork painted in cobalt blue, the right paw holding a ball, the face gnarling with raised protrusions on the head and body, 41cm long; 39cm high, (minor chips)
Footnotes
A Fu, or lion, dog is a mythical creature present in Buddhist art since at least the Han Dynasty, however the standardised pose and expressiveness were codified in the Ming Dynasty. Always presented in pairs, their fierce stance and threatening demeanour account for their supposedly apotropaic powers, warding off evil from the entrances to tombs and temples.
A similar but smaller Nevers Fu-Dog statue is in the Musée d'Art religieux de Blois, and another example is illustrated in Jean Rosen, La faïence de Nevers, vol. 2, 2009, p. 344, fig. 610.