Jade ‘Beast’ figurine, Western Zhou dynasty

A carved jade figure of a spirit beast with engraved details and spiral line decoration. It crouches with its legs bent, its jaws open and its tail curled up. It has holes in its mouth and tail for the insertion of a cord. In traditional Chinese culture, the auspicious animals ‘瑞兽’ (ruì shòu) dragon, phoenix, turtle... are related to good luck. The jade has a green hue with brown spots due to patina from age.

Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 BC) or later. 

Size: 4.8 x 3.4 x 12.5 cm. Weight: 352 g