Chinese Toggle Depicting Foo Lion

Upright, snarling creature in pale green stands tall on its hind legs, covered in curls.

This toggle depicting foo lion is from China, and dates to the 19th century. It is jade. Traditional Chinese clothing had no pockets, so people of all social classes, from rickshaw drivers to court scholars, used toggles as counterweights to help secure small bags hanging from their sashes. Soft celadon and vertical, the slim figure has a squared open mouth, folded ears and small hands at its chest. Scroll-like lines curl along the legs and flank. The surface is polished smooth with a few small marks of age. It is 1.5 inches wide, 1 deep and 3.25 high.

Fierce on top, tidy underneath, and well posed.