A SMALL TIANHUANG 'MYTHICAL BEAST' SEAL QING DYNASTY, 19TH CENTURY

of upright rectangular section, surmounted by a finial deftly carved in the form of a recumbent mythical beast, its hair detailed with fine incisions and its taut muscles prominently pronounced, the seal face carved in positive seal script with shanshui renjia ('Pavilion by the mountains and waters'), the stone of a rich golden amber tone with faint russet inclusions and characteristic veins

This charming tianhuang seal is notable for the naturalistic carving of the mythological beast, evident in the modelling of its subtly defined muscular body. Compare a similar tianhuang seal carved with a crouching chilong, illustrated in Sydney L. Moss, Emperor, Scholar, Artisan, Monk. The Creative Personality in Chinese Works of Art, London, 1984, pl. 102; and another, depicting a Buddhist lion, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1st December 2010, lot 3132.