Chinese Toggle Depicting Foo Lion

Small lion-like creature perches on a ball with a rough speckled boulder behind it.

This toggle depicting foo lion is from China, and dates to the 19th century. It is jade. Many toggles carried auspicious symbols drawn from wordplay, so a monkey, whose word can sound like the word for Marquis, suggested high rank, and a carp suggested success in civil service examinations. Sitting atop a round ball with one paw resting on it, the slim upright figure turns its head a little to one side. The base is a rough, pale block flecked with black. The body is creamy and softly polished with fine incised details. It is 0.5 inches wide, 1.5 deep and 2.5 high.

Balancing a ball is hard, and this one makes it look easy.