Martindale Chinese Art

The elaborate beast is portrayed crouching on its four thick long feet, its furry belly shown coiled and sitting flush with the ground. Its head pointing upwards with its long straight beard finishing at a slight upward curl on its scaly chest. The body reptilian in appearance with crosshatched incised tool marks giving the illusion of a scale-like surface. On either side of its shoulders, a large elaborate wing rises to the beast’s knobbly spine.

Located at the back of its head a single long horn reaches along its spine, branching in the centre to an upward curling horn, continuing along and finishing with a small downward curl.

The stone is of mottled white/greyish tone.

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Length: 6.5 cm

Provenance: Private European Collection