Page 43 - Sotheby's May 10th 2017 London Animal Menagerie, Chinese Art

A wide range of imaginary creatures with pronounced features began to be made in
stone and other durable materials in China during the Han dynasty, coinciding with an
increased interest with omens and talismans believed to provide a link with the spiritual
world. Stone sculptures of intimidating beasts were placed outside and inside tombs
with the function of protecting the deceased in the afterlife. Jade was associated with
immortality, hence it was a particularly suitable material for small carvings of supernatural
creatures that were meant to be kept near the body.
A characteristic of images of mythological beasts from the Han dynasty through to the
Qing period is their menacing features and stances. While sculptures of animals were
generally fashioned with gentle features and in resting poses, mythological creatures have
bulging eyes, flared nostrils and are depicted crawling in a menacing attitude, such as lot
34, or crouching with their head alertly raised, as seen in lot 33. While in the Han these
depictions were meant to show their protective nature towards their owners, in the Song,
Ming and Qing periods they were intentionally rendered in an archaistic style that echoed
China’s glorious past, whilst often reinterpreted to portray a sense of playfulness.
Mythological creatures in this collection include the qilin, described as a creature with a
scaly body and one or two horns, the tail of an ox and the hooves of a horse, which later
became symbolic of happiness and male progeny; the luduan, a one-horned beast with a
round body and clawed feet which was able to detect the truth; and the bixie, a winged
beast with the head of a dragon that wards off evil spirits.

(Le ) Anonymous, Uppermost Highest Spirit under Jade Pivot underous Peal Precious Scripture with
Talismanic Seals, ink on paper, woodblock-printed book, Yuan dynasty (1333), e British Library, London.

A er: Stephen Little, Taoism and the Arts of China, e Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 2000, pl. 73.