MOTTLED LIGHT AND BROWN HARDSTONE FIGURE OF A BIXIEH CHIMERA

MOTTLED LIGHT AND BROWN HARDSTONE FIGURE OF A BIXIEH CHIMERA crouching looking forward, the details beautifully carved, 7cm long, Six Dynasties, fitted wood stand, signed and with Qianlong mark, in a beautifully fitted hardwood box. Literature: no. 11 in "Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing, James Watt, Asia Society, 1980 and "Chinese carved Jades" by Howard Hansford, plate 64. He states "as in most early animal sculptures the mouth is wide open, the ears are rounded in front and pointed at the back, the eyebrows and the single central horn are of the twisted rope type, the eyes point to the sides, the cheeks are prominent with fur markings along the edge (here at the back). Flowing ribbon-like wings extend from the forelegs". Probable provenance; the box has a paper label in Chinese "Jade from the collection of Pang Xu Zhai" (1864-1949), a famous collector