Rare limestone model of a chimera 'bixie'

Description:

China, Han period
L. 47 cm
The chimera sculpted originally in a crouching posture, his roaring head raised showing bulging eyes below bushy eyebrows, upturned snout, open mouth with double row of teeth, the top of his head with a curved horn, the body with a pair of wings and decorated with patches of fur
From the Helmut Ploog Collection (1940 - 2024), collected from 1965 onwards
This finely carved limestone figure represents a Chimera (bìxié 辟邪), a mythological guardian creature that occupied an important role in the funerary art of the Han dynasty. With its powerful, S-shaped body, open jaws, and relief-carved wings folded along the flanks, the sculpture embodies the characteristic blend of natural vigor and stylized abstraction seen in Eastern Han tomb guardians. Such stone creatures were traditionally placed along the spirit ways (shéndào 神道) leading to imperial and aristocratic tombs or stationed near the entrances to burial chambers. They served an apotropaic function, warding off malevolent spirits and safeguarding the deceased’s passage into the afterlife. The present example’s muscular modeling, compressed proportions, and strong surface articulation correspond closely to stylistic tendencies of the late Han period, when monumental stone carving reached new expressive refinement. Comparable limestone chimeras are held in major collections: notably the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City (Chimera Tomb Guardian, inv. no. 44-26/1, early 3rd century A.D.) and the RISD Museum, Providence (Chimera, inv. no. 43.592), both sharing a similarly crouching stance, winged shoulders, and dramatically open jaws. Related monumental examples are recorded from Henan tomb sites, discussed in Two Colossal Stone Chimeras from a Chinese Tomb, University Museum Bulletin, University of Pennsylvania - Damages, losses