cast seated on three powerful legs, its left forepaw raised above cloud vapor, the ferocious head detailed with a long curled horn above large protruding eyes and a long upturned snout exposing sharp fangs and a curled tongue, the sinewy body with long flowing flames issuing from its shoulders, its spine trailing to a upturned curving tail. 

Note: Compare a closely related example attributed to the Jin dynasty, similarly cast in a seated position with one claw raised grasping a cloud wisp and tail curled upward behind the back, discovered in Acheng, Heilongjiang province, now in the Heilongjiang Museum, Harbin, exhibited in Zhongguo jiyi. Wuqiannian wenming guibao [The Chinese Memory. Treasures of the 5000-year Civilization], Capital Museum, Beijing, 2008, cat. no. 59. A smaller example, with the left claw raised to support a 'Flaming Pearl' from the Junkunc Collection, was offered in these rooms, 10th September 2019, lot 231.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, New York, 17 march 2021