This wood carving colorfully depicts a mythical creature with its head turned back and a branch of peonies protruding from its wide-open mouth. Its mane is stylistically portrayed with swirls of curls and long wavy locks of hair jetting from its crown. A black and white horn peaks through its thick mane and a small round object balances in its mouth. Bulging eyes, sharp fangs and flared nostrils add to its fearsome yet awesome appearance. Seated beneath the animal are three small lion-like creatures with human facial characteristics, possibly offspring or attendants. The central figure is painted in gold with red, green, blue, black and white used to accentuate its features. Although the iconography of this carving suggests that it represents a guardian lion, both qilin and lion imagery figure prominently in architectural relief with shared characteristics. According to Chinese mythology, the qilin, a fantastic, androgynous beast who possesses only the most important physical attributes of animals, portends some auspicious event such as the birth of a sage or wise ruler. Its outstanding trait is benevolence, and it symbolizes longevity. The lion, however, appears in association with Buddhism as it was transmitted via India around the fourth century BC. Being a non-indigenous animal to China, the lion was transformed into a mythical beast with supernatural powers who guarded of Buddhist temples and upheld the law. Acquiring features of the Chinese toy dog and qilin, the lion is often represented in pairs, male and female, the male with a globe and sometimes horn and the female with a lion cub.