A CERAMIC BUDDHIST LION China, late Ming dynasty26 cm highThe ceramic with traces of an original silver leaf cover, the lion seated on a square section basement with the incised inscriptions大吉(daji, “great lucky”) e 大利 (dali, “great profit), the head turning right, the details of the composition finely moulded and incised.Provenance: Mario Fantin Museum (Imola).Mario Fantin (Bologna 1921-1980) was an explorer, mountaineer, photographer and writer, realizing 47 documentaries about his many expeditions, 33 outside ope. During his travels Fantin amassed an important ethnographical collection and founded a museum in his home in Imola. When he passed away a part of the collection was given to the Ethnographical Museum in Rimini, the rest was auctioned.