Chinese Guardian Pixiu, Bringer of Wealth

Somewhere, a glossy little lion-like guardian, sitting up with its mouth open wide.

This guardian pixiu, bringer of wealth is from China, and is contemporary. It is boxwood. Boxwood is a dense, fine grained, pale wood that carvers in China have long favored for small figures because it holds crisp detail. Pictured here, a compact, seated beast in polished reddish-brown, with a curly mane, wide-open mouth and heavy brow. Its front paws rest on the ground, claws carefully outlined, and a rounded patterned chest bulges below the chin. The finish is deep and lustrous. It is 1.63 inches wide, 1.75 deep and 2.25 high.

Small guardian, very large attitude, and a spectacular mane.