We have no idea what kind of animal this is supposed to be. Its head resembles a fish but it has four legs and a tail. The carver also made a mistake when drilling the eyes. A groove made by the same drill as he used for the eyes, was erroneously placed next to the left eye. Apparently the carver noticed his mistake and placed his drill in the right place afterwards. Dating is almost impossible as the design is of a kind also unknown to us. But we liked the crackled appearance of the beast, perhaps caused by fire, and therefore bought it in the 1970’s. The bottom is almost pitch black. It is safe to say that it dates from the Qing dynasty (1644 – 1912) but it may be older than that. Length 5.1 cm. Width 2.6 cm. Height 3.1 cm. Weight 52.3 grams.