Miniature carving of a Lion Dog (shih tzu kou) or Fo Dog

It is a great challenge to date or categorize animal carvings, based on their history and stylistic development. It is quite impossible because jades were usually not buried in tombs or pits. Furthermore, jade is an unblemished material that alters very little, either chemically or by weathering. Miniature animal sculpture, despite its questionable function and purpose, was widespread at all times in the history of Chinese art. It was constantly copied from one period to the next.* We are left with no other option but to presume the suggested function and date of this piece through its carving style, and especially its incised lines. This is a stereotyped form of a Lion Dog (shih tzu kou) or Fo Dog, an auspicious creature commonly seen guarding the entrance of Buddhist temples (in Chinese Buddhist tradition, the Lion Dog was perceived as the Defender of the Law and the Guardian of Sacred temples). The head of the animal turns upwards. Its impressive rectangular shape is muscular and compact. An oversized and angular head is slanted slightly upwards and has a pronounced snout, an open jaw, menacing teeth, bulging eyes, and bushy brows. The delicate C-shaped scrolls, incised lines suggesting the mane, and fine hatching along the back all indicate a move toward a realistic depiction. This design is common in the late Qing period and in contemporary designs. * Jessica Rawson's Chinese Jade: from the Neolithic to the Qing, p 349