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China, 206 BC-AD 220. Each exquisitely carved, arranged in a symmetrical, opposing composition, as a powerful winged mythical beast shown in a crouching stance, with one foreleg outstretched and the robust paws firmly planted on the ground. Their elongated bodies, finely detailed with sensitively rendered tufts of fur, extend into bifurcated tails that sweep gracefully behind the creatures in naturalistic curves.
The powerfully modeled heads are slightly raised in alert postures, their fierce expressions defined by bulging eyes, prominent snouts with gaping mouths issuing wild roars, exposing sharp fangs and curling tongues, and pairs of large horns curling towards their tips. Perched upon the back of each principal beast is a smaller mythical creature, rendered in similarly crouching poses with sinuously contoured bodies, extending one forepaw to touch one of the horns of their mounts.
The well-polished, translucent stone of high quality, suffused with warm amber-orange tones acquired through prolonged contact with iron oxides during burial. (2)
Provenance: Private collection of Prof. Filippo Salviati, Rome, Italy. Filippo Salviati is Associate Professor of Chinese and Korean Art and Archaeology at the Department of Oriental Studies, Sapienza University of Rome. His research, spanning approximately four decades, focuses on the art and material culture of East Asia, with particular emphasis on Chinese archaic jades, Buddhist art, and the historical development of Chinese and Korean visual traditions. His most significant publications include 4000 years of Chinese archaic jades. The development of the jade-carving tradition from the Neolithic to the Han dynasty (2017), a key reference on the evolution of jade craftsmanship and symbolism in ancient China, and L’arte cinese (2009), a widely used academic overview of Chinese art history.
Condition: Very good condition with expected wear, traces of weathering and erosion, natural inclusions and fissures, some of which have developed into visible cracks, occasional minor chips, signs of prolonged burial.
Weight: 2.5 kg and 2.8 kg
Dimensions: Length 19.2 cm and 19.4 cm
Moving away from the highly stylized depictions of animals in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, artisans of the early Western Han Dynasty through to the early Six Dynasties period continuously developed a more naturalistic approach to representing animals. This aesthetic was applied to images of both real and mythical creatures, and across artistic mediums. At the same time, lapidary arts flourished, and jade animals of unprecedentedly high quality started to be carved. The present bixie are superb examples of the sculptural practices of the period, and the era's enthusiasm for miraculous creatures that were believed to possess supernatural power.
Pixiu are mythical hybrid creatures, considered powerful protectors, resembling strong, winged tigers or lions, auspicious for wealth, and said to have a voracious appetite exclusively for gold, silver, and jewels. Therefore, pixiu have always been regarded as being capable of drawing cai qi (wealth) from all directions, and according to the Chinese zodiac, they are especially helpful for those who are going through a bad year. There are two types of pixiu: the one with two horns is the female, called bixie. The one with only one antler is the male, called tianlu.
Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty declared that the pixiu would be forever known as the ‘Treasure of the Emperor’, that only royal personage could possess a pixiu, and that it was strictly forbidden for all others to own one, including officials. This law was kept through to the very end of the Qing dynasty. Lifelike sculptures of these mythical beings made from durable materials, such as jade, were made to embody and pacify the elemental and supernatural forces of the living world.
Winged beasts in general (lion, tiger, deer, ram, eagle… etc.) are a popular and enduring subject in ancient Chinese works of art, and exist in many different forms (as a decorative pattern, flat carving or carving in the round). The most eye-catching amongst them are carvings of bixie in the round. The term bixie first appeared in Jijiupian by Shi You in the Western Han period: ‘Sheji, bixie are both names of mythical beasts… bixie means ‘warding off the wicked’. It is said that jade pendants in the form of these two beasts can help prevent adversity and provide protection.’
The iconography of the bixie is closely associated with that of the griffin, popular in the Western Asia and Eurasia steppes, and originated in Mesopotamia in 3000 BC. Bixie occupies a curious position in Chinese art. It is based on the imagery of a lion, a foreign animal, but has the spirit of a fierce tiger. It is often depicted alongside other exotic animals as artistic backdrops for monumental architecture, especially in the Han dynasty where palaces, temples, shrines and tombs were often decorated with large scale bronze or stone sculptures of Weng Zhong, qilin, tianlu, elephants, camels or horses. Bixie is an important component amongst the array that makes up this subject matter.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related rock crystal bixie, dated Han dynasty, 11.3 cm long, from the collection of Sam and Myrna Myers, illustrated in Jean-Paul Desroches (ed.) et al, The Beginning of the World. Dragons, Phoenix and Other Chimera, 2020, p. 165 and 167, no. 96.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Zacke Vienna, 11 March 2026, lot 31
Price: EUR 97,500
Description: An exceptionally well carved pair of rock crystal feline figures, Han dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling, manner of carving, and stone. Note the smaller size (11.5 cm) and different subject.
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