清康熙 彩绘瑞狮图笔筒

The lion in Chinese art is associated with royal power, official high rank or tutelage. It is also regarded as a guardian of Buddhism, and is featured in some of the earliest Buddhist monuments. Although the lion is not indigenous to China, it is thought that depictions of lions entered China via the silk route and actual lions were sent to China as tribute as early as the 1st century AD. The combination of lions playing with brocade balls, as seen on the current brush pot, symbolises the wish for power and wealth.