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Artist or Maker: MING DYNASTY (1368-1644)

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Provenance: Gift from Mrs. Edward Stotesbury.

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Notes: These massive lions were a gift from Eva Stotesbury, Miss Duke's mother-in-law. In 1935, Doris Duke married James Cromwell and they immediately embarked on an around-the-world honeymoon. They explored the Middle East, India, China and traveled throughout Southeast Asia -- and these travels had an enormous impact on Doris Duke's taste and collections.

James was the son of the financier Oliver Cromwell and Eva Cromwell. When James' father died, his mother remarried Edward Stotesbury, who worked with both the Drexel and Morgan banks, and was one of the wealthiest men in the country before the stock market crash. The Stotesburys were famous both for their enormous collections and grand estates -- their summer house in Bar Harbor, El Mirasol in Palm Beach and, above all, vast Whitemarsh Hall outside of Philadelphia constructed by Horace Trumbauer.

Christie's is selling all lots in this sale as agent for an organization which holds a State of New York Exempt Organization certificate. Seller explicitly reserves all trademark and trade name rights and rights of privacy and publicity in the name and image of Doris Duke. No buyer of any property in this sale will acquire any right to use the Doris Duke name or image. Seller further explicitly reserves all copyright rights in designs or other copyrightable works included in the property offered for sale. No buyer of any property in the sale will acquire the rights to reproduce, distribute copies of, or prepare derivative works of such designs or copyrightable works.