‘ZHENMUSHOU’, TOMB PROTECTIVE CREATURE ON HIGH PEDESTAL

Description Impressive statue of a fantastic creature with a feline muzzle, tall horns and wings, curled up on its hind legs. He has a square, massive head, with a huge, wide-open mouth and exposed teeth, square eyes. On the sides of the broad, along the upper lip, there are two accessory fangs. Under the chin, a long beard stands out in relief on the chest; on the sides of the head, the muzzle and neck are framed by a sort of mane formed by two rigid crests. Two, very tall, wavy horns reminiscent of those of the impala (an African herbivore), are grafted on the forehead and are enriched in the lower half by a row of horny protuberances. This scaffolding, relevant in itself, is made even more important by a large branched crest pattern that rises from the nape of the zhenmushou like a five-pointed flame (huoyan).