Chinese Mythological Guardian Figure

He has been showing his teeth for the better part of a thousand years, and he has not tired of it.

This mythological guardian figure was carved from stone in China and is catalogued to the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE). Guardian beasts of this kind were long set at gateways and tombs to keep out whatever needed keeping out. The body is a smooth, barrel-chested mass, seated upright on a square plinth. The detail goes where it counts: a row of small square teeth, curled brows, clawed feet. The pale stone is pitted and weathered, with warm mineral staining and a fine crack running from jaw to chest. Fifty-four inches high.

Nobody will be wandering in uninvited.