紮Frame
Bamboo or rattan is split, smoothed, bent by hand and tied into the skeleton. The frame decides the shape of the head, how it moves, and how long it lasts.
Lion & dragon making · Made in Paris
The art of tradition, reimagined
Lion heads, dragons and lanterns, built entirely by hand from bamboo or rattan, paper and paint. Our pieces are never mass-produced. Each one is made to measure for its client.
Begin a commission Instagram @lionopus
We do not make objects. We make pieces that carry centuries of heritage from Southern China, Hong Kong and Malaysia — singular, rare, and built for those who ask for both authenticity and excellence.
作品
Four disciplines, one hand
Every piece is made to order and to measure, for traditional performances, for display, or for both.
紮作
Four gestures, unchanged for generations
Southern lion makers sum up their craft in four words: frame, paper, paint, dress. Ghyslain learned them over fifteen years under masters in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan.
撲Paper
Layers of paper and gauze are cut, then carefully pasted one by one onto the frame with a glue the craftsman makes to his own secret recipe, giving each piece the strength to last.
寫Paint
Colour and pattern are traced one by one in the style the client chooses: traditional, Hong Kong or Malaysian. Every motif carries meaning; every piece is painted for its owner.
裝Dress
Fur, horsehair, pompoms and mirrors are fitted. Then the head waits for the eye-dotting ceremony that brings it to life.
The craftsman
“My mission is to honour the heritage I was entrusted with, and to share it through work that inspires joy, respect and awe.”
Lion dance has been at the centre of Ghyslain Kuehn’s life for more than 25 years. What began as performance, on stage and in the street, led him to the roots of the culture: fifteen years travelling through China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan to study not only the dance, but the making of the heads themselves.
From his masters he learned to bend bamboo and rattan by hand, to shape and layer paper, and to give a piece its spirit through harmony of colour and painting style. His own workshop exists for one reason: to keep this art alive, without shortcuts.
Exhibited in “Dragons” at the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, Paris, 2025–26.
Ghyslain KuehnMaster craftsman, founder
- 25+
- Years of lion dance
- 15+
- Years studying in Asia
- 0
- Pieces mass-produced
服務
Made for you, or made new again
Preserving legacy, restoring soul
We restore with a curator’s care and an artist’s hand. Colours are revived, textures renewed and frames reinforced, always respecting the spirit of the original. Once restored, your lion or dragon is ready to be awakened again through the eye-dotting ceremony.
Ask about a restoration
Your vision, our craft
From bold festival lions to refined collector’s editions, every piece can be tailored. Colours, motifs and symbolic details are chosen together, and the eye-dotting ceremony can be performed in the workshop or at your location.
Begin a commission
How a commission works
- InquiryShare your ideas, references and any date you have in mind.
- Design consultationSketches, colours and motifs are refined together.
- CraftingFramed, papered, painted and dressed by hand.
- Completion & deliveryPacked with care and shipped worldwide, ready to perform or display.
Because every piece is handmade, commission places are limited and timelines depend on complexity. If you have a festival, performance or exhibition date, get in touch early.
聯絡
Begin a conversation
Whether you are a performer, a cultural institution or a collector, tell us what you have in mind. Every message gets a personal reply from the craftsman himself. No AI here.
Message sent
Thank you. Ghyslain reads every message himself and will reply to you by email.
