Foo Dog Incense Holder Cambodian Bronze Small Statue Snarling Smoke Mouth 5"

Foo Dogs, also known as Chinese Guardian Lions, Shishi Lions, Imperial Lions, or Fu Dogs, are a few of the most famous and iconic protective symbols in Asian art and architecture. Placed mainly at the entrances of temples, palaces, gardens, homes, and businesses, these majestic guardian statues have traditionally been thought to not only repel bad energy, evil spirits, and mishaps but also to bring in wealth, success, and harmony.

Foo Dogs are actually not dogs at all, although the name is very popular. They are very ornate lion icons since the lion has always been considered the animal of courage, authority, wisdom, and protection. Originating in China more than 2,000 years ago, guardian lion statues powerful symbols of imperial authority, protection, and spiritual guardship later spread throughout Asia where their reverence continues even today.

It is a custom that Foo Dog statues be shown as a pair consisting of a male and a female. Usually, the male Foo Dog is illustrated with a decorative ball under his paw, which stands for protection of the world, leadership, and strength. The female, however, is with a cub, which symbolizes family, maternal instinct, and protection of future generations. In fact, their union depicts the perfect harmony of yin and yang the male and female energies, power, and love.

Foo Dogs are a very common Feng Shui protective symbol, mainly when placed near doors, gates, yards, and walkways. This way, they are thought to not only produce a defense barrier against destructive forces but also to bring about the circulation of chi, the strengthening of the body vitality, the accumulation of wealth, and the ushering in of good tidings. Their impressive look is what makes them a very popular choice for both homes and businesses.

Nowadays, hand-carved Foo Dog statues, Fu Dog sculptures, and Chinese Guardian Lion statues are highly sought after for their historical value, artistic beauty, and symbolic meaning. Used either inside or outside the house, these icons serve as everlasting reminders of protection, wealth, power, and spiritual guardianship, turning them into an important part of the house, garden, temple, or business setting.

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Bronze is an extremely durable metal made from a combination of 5 metals; copper, iron, tin, with minute additions of silver and gold. This combination is called Panchaloha bronze and is the basis for making the sacred Hindu temple statues of India and the world. Copper is the most prevalent metal in the alloy. Copper also gives the metal a softer composition that allows the bronze artisans to carve the details that are prevalent in each piece.
All the South Indian bronze sculpture Lotus Sculpture carries are Panchaloham and thus suited for any home altar or community temple.

Because of the durability of the metal not much is needed to maintain a bronze sculpture. Many of our customers purchase a bronze statue and perform daily puja and abhisheka consisting of bathing the Hindu deity in ghee, milk, coconut milk or other liquids. In this case nothing is needed to keep the statue clean as it will be bathed daily. If the sculpture is used for "darshan" or simply viewing the sculpture it is best to dust the statue as needed so no dirt collects in the details of the sculpture. For both polished golden bronzes and antique patina bronze statues if you would like the sculpture to shine use a cotton cloth with some coconut oil or other natural oil to wipe down the piece as needed.

Many of our bronze Hindu statues have been placed in outdoor temples. Bronze's durability makes it perfect for cold winters and hot summers of any climate. We suggest you bathe the sculpture every couple of months so that dirt does not collect on the sculpture and then use a cotton cloth with some natural oil to give the statue a shine. Both indoors and outdoors a bronze statue can be left alone which, overtime, will give the bronze an antique patina.

On some bronze statues you can see small hints of lime green, verde-gris patina. Some people prize this color for its age others want to remove it. If you would like to remove the verde-gris use a tooth brush with some coconut oil or other natural oil and lightly go over the verde-gris. This should remove the unwanted patina from the sculpture.

Polished Gold Bronze: Many temples and homes prefer the highly polished gold bronze for temples or home altars. In order to give the statue a bright polished sheen we recommend using a cotton rag and buffing the piece. An acid like tamarind or lemon juice will help aid this process. This takes time and effort to bring out the polish. If you are looking for a short cut; some of our customers have used a product called Brasso which has been good at bringing a tarnished golden piece back to its golden shine.

If you have any questions concerning your bronze statue please email us at info@lotussculpture.com or call us at 1(760) 994-4455.

Bangladeshi Bronze is an extremely durable metal made from a combination of 5 metals; copper, iron, tin, with minute additions of silver and gold. This combination is called Panchaloha bronze and is the basis for making the sacred Hindu temple statues around the world. Copper is the most prevalent metal in the alloy. Copper also gives the metal a softer composition that allows the bronze artisans to carve the details that are prevalent in each piece. All the Bangleshi bronze sculpture Lotus Sculpture carries are Panchaloham and thus suited for any home altar or community temple.

Because of the durability of the metal not much is needed to maintain a bronze sculpture. Many of our customers purchase a bronze statue and perform daily puja and abhisheka consisting of bathing the Hindu deity in ghee, milk, coconut milk or other liquids. In this case nothing is needed to keep the statue clean as it will be bathed daily. If the sculpture is used for "darshan" or simply viewing the sculpture it is best to dust the statue as needed so no dirt collects in the details of the sculpture. For Bangladeshi bronze statues if you would like the sculpture to shine, use a cotton cloth with some coconut oil or other natural oil to wipe down the piece as needed.
If you have any questions concerning your bronze statue please email us at info@lotussculpture.com or call us at 1(760) 994-4455.

USA Shipping

This sculpture is in our Oceanside, California store and ready for immediate shipping. The shipping charge is automatically calculated by UPS for shipping within the United States. Each sculpture is usually shipped within 24 hours of the order with the exception of the weekend.
You can obtain a shipping quote for any statue by clicking the link, Calculate Shipping beneath to the Add To Cart button on every statues' page.  Besides the shipping price, the results will also display the date the statue will arrive at your home. Lotus Sculpture uses Instapak foam injection packing system or bubble wrap and recycled peanuts to ensure that all our pieces arrive undamaged. Click here to learn more about Lotus Sculptures packing.

International Shipping

This sculpture is in our Oceanside, California store and ready for immediate shipping to anywhere in the world. ​International shipping charges will be calculated automatically upon checkout. ​
You can obtain a shipping quote for any statue by clicking the link, Calculate Shipping beneath to the Add To Cart button on every statues' page.  Or you can email info@lotussculpture.com or call us 760-994-4455 to receive a shipping quote. Please include the item number of the statue you are interested in purchasing as well as your country and postal code.​ Lotus Sculpture uses Instapak foam injection packing system or bubble wrap and recycled peanuts to ensure that all our pieces arrive undamaged. Click here to learn more about Lotus Sculptures packing.