The Ming Dynasty was an imperial dynasty in China from 1368 until 1644, following the Yuan Dynasty. It was founded by the Hongwu Emperor after a period of unrest in which there were several rebel factions vying for power. Hongwu introduced a building programme, including defensive walls, palaces, and government buildings, and strengthened the military. During the Ming Dynasty, the country was highly organised under a provincial administration system. Many art forms flourished, including literature, painting, poetry, music, and opera, and the novel form became popularised. This artwork is from the Ming or the Qing dynasty, but it may be intended as an imitation of the style of the Warring States Period (c.475-221 BCE).

This sculpture shows a feline creature, possibly a lion, lying down with its four legs curled underneath it. There is a sense of energy within the crouched legs, suggesting that the animal is ready to pounce at any moment. Its tail curls outwards in both directions. There are similar curling shapes on both its sides; these do not seem to represent anatomical features but seem more decorative, as they mirror the sinuous curve of the animal’s back. It does not have a full mane, but a lock of hair coming from the top of its head and resting on its back may be a stylised representation of one. Its round eyes are wide underneath pronounced eyebrows, and its mouth is open, showing rows of sharp teeth including four canines and a curling tongue. There is a colour gradient along this sculpture; towards the hindquarters of the animal and along its left side the stone is a mottled greyish green colour, but on its face and right side it is an orange brown.

Jade is a highly valued material within Chinese artistic culture, and has been used for thousands of years for ritual objects, ceremonial weapons, small figurines, and dress ornaments. Until the 18th century, all jade used in China was nephrite (one of the two varieties of jade, the other being jadeite). It was mainly sourced from the riverbeds of Yarkand and Hotan, in the present-day autonomous region of Xinjiang. The material was prized for its beautiful, almost translucent, quality and the variety of colours in which it could be found. Objects made from jade would have been valuable because of their beauty as well as the effort required to make them; jade is too hard to be carved or cut with metal tools, and it would have been necessary to drill or saw it.