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Can anyone identify this carved wood guardian lion figure or advise as to what region it may be from or estimate its age? The seller had no idea of the history of the item. After much research, the closest examples I can find stylistically are early snow lion figures from Nepal.It is made from a very heavy dark wood and shows signs of wear and age. The carving is fairly small, measuring at about 3" by 4". Thank you.

I'm actually not even positive it is wood, now that I look more closely at it. It seems to be far too smooth and heavy. Could it be some kind of bone or horn? Is there any way to tell?

Here's a closeup picture of the texture. It also appears to be slightly cooler to the touch than wood and has almost a waxy feel to the surface coupled with a subtle odor that isn't characteristic of wood. It definitely isn't resin or any kind of synthetic.

Any opinions or guesses would be much appreciated.I've been researching for days and am at a total loss as to what this is exactly, or even which specific mythical creature it is meant to represent. It has similar characteristics to the Chinese and Tibetan snow lion and fu dogs, but also the 'hornless dragon / mountain demon' as well as other chimera creatures from the region.

Any opinions or guesses at all would be much appreciated. Thank you.

I think it is a Tibetan snow lion figure

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