Brown Glazed Folk Art Signed Clay Lion in the Manner of John Bell 1972 edition though it is so distinctive

though it is so distinctive and beautifully decorated I think I'd be more inclined to treat it as a design object than to drink out of it--I  might put it to use as a small planter

Really cool

I'd guess this frame dates to the 1940s or so

recently sold at auction for $325

this one a vintage Modern Blueprint Co

Brown Glazed Folk Art Signed Clay Lion in the Manner of John Bell 1972 edition though it is so distinctiveI don't know the age or much about the origins of this charming lion, but I do know it came from Pennsylvania, and certainly it bears a strong resemblance to the iconic folk art lion of John Bell (18001880) from the Shenandoah Valley, which itself bore the influence of Staffordshire and Rockingham lions from the mid 18th c. This one is signed Dorlisa (or possibly Dorlida) Lyons (appropriately) and I think it honors its predecessors quite nicely, and