An ingenious cast glass statuette of a mythical beast. The figurine has been cast in one piece, with some of the details which have been finished by hand. The superb rendering of the beast's details, with the body decorated with scroll work motifs, provides evidence of the skills of the artisan who made it. This statuette is a fine piece of work of the Qing Dynasty, made in the style of carved rock-crystal.

In the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) glassmaking witnessed a big revival, probably a result of the imperial support, as many ateliers which were working specifically for the palace were established. The creation of these imperial workshops and their openness towards the introduction of western techniques, lead to the flourishing of Chinese glassmaking. Qing glass production was marked by enthusiastic support from the emperor, princes, and high officials and glass objects like the ones presented here were luxury articles. In the Kangxi period (1661-1722, the third emperor of the Qing dynasty) glass imitation of gems reached its peak, with clear glass used in place of rock crystal. Rock crystal was a material treasured by the Chinese people in the same way as they treasured jade and was a symbol of purity.