149. 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) 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.