A small white jade figure of a mythical beast, Qing dynasty, 18th century

The present pebble carving is inspired by earlier figures of mythical beasts attributed to the Six Dynasties to Song dynasty. The design of the unusual dragon-headed beast, with pendulous breasts above a protruding belly and open jaws with an incised beard, can be seen on a related jade figure, described as a horned demon, Song dynasty or earlier, illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade throughout the Ages, London, 1975, pl. 94. See another example, attributed to the 3rd-6th century, illustrated in René-Yvon Lefebvre d'Argencé, Chinese Jades in the Avery Brundage Collection, San Francisco, 1977, pl. 27. See also a related Ming dynasty figure, illustrated in Gerald Tsang, Chinese Jade Animals, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 146; another related figure sold at Christie's New York, 21st March 2014, lot 2499, and a third example, from the collection of Victor Shaw (1935-2020), sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 9th October 2022, lot 3677.