A Bixie (辟邪) is a type of lion-like mythological Chinese creature. It is considered as an exorcising animal. Its name literally means ‘Avoid Evil’. Some depictions of a Bixie are hornless, others have horns. This Bixie was carved from a greyish white Hetian jade river pebble and has a bifurcated horn and tail. The artist has used the brown parts of the stone to maximize the effect of his carving. We have always felt that this little creature was made during the Qing dynasty but recently we discovered that a very similar animal was sold at auction in Hong Kong in 2016 and given a Ming date (1368 - 1644). Length 4.7 cm. Width 2.5 cm. Height 1.3 cm. Weight 21.8 grams.