Mythic beast

A grayish-green jade with brown flaws, light-grayish veins, and a matte surface has been used to carve a mythic beast with the combined features of a lion and a dragon. The craftworker achieved a lovely composition: the beast rests on its four folded legs, the two front paws slightly overlapped. Its single horn and tail are each beautifully divided into two curling sprouts in relief, a reminder of traditional dragons. Bulging roundels on all sides indicate eyebrows, horn, eyes, and spine. The hollows between the chest and the two front paws and between the curling bifurcated tail and the rump are eye-catching when viewed from the underside. Deeply engraved lines delineate the four paws.

This piece was documented in 1972 as originating in the medieval period, but that dating deserves to be reconsidered. The use of round relief for the characteristic exaggerated demeanor of the beast indicates that it was executed much later, in the nineteenth century.