Provenance: from an Italian private collection.

Catalog notes:

Xiè zhì is a white animal with dragon head, lion body, bear tail, mane, paws and a single horn on the head. This creature can determine the truth by lying, and that is why it was the symbol of the bureaucrats' censors. This group of appointed officials conducted investigations on behalf of the Emperor in order to detect wrongdoing or inefficiency among bureaucrats.

官服补子，中国，清，十九世纪