The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 18, 2025
Candlestand in the Shape of a Chimera Bixie
265–316 CE
Location: 238 Chinese Ceramics
Description
The candlestand in the shape of a chimera or bixie (a fantastical hybrid creature that was believed to ward off evil spirits) was molded in two parts. Incisions on both sides of the feline body suggest wings. Stone bixie placed in front of tomb entrances are prominent among the Six Dynasties kings buried in Nanjing. Candlestands in the form of chimera were found in tombs but may have been used in daily life too.- ?–1983(Walter Hochstadter [1914–2007], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)1983–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Griswold, William, Xiaofei Tian, Richard Von Glahn, Feng Zhao, S. J. Vainker, Masaaki Itakura, Jiang Wu, et al. China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta. Edited by Clarissa Von Spee. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 113, no. 20
- China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10, 2023-January 7, 2024).The Year in Review for 1983. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 22-April 8, 1984).
- {{cite web|title=Candlestand in the Shape of a Chimera Bixie|url=false|author=|year=265–316 CE|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1983.77