Echoing the ejiao from Shuangrushan (cat. no. 28), this yoke saddle ornament is in the shape of an arched animal with the same bulging eyes, flat nose, and horns. But this example has in addition a loop ring on the top of its head and does not have a saw-toothed tail. The hollow-cast ornament was placed over the curved ends of the yoke saddle that fit over the horse’s neck and supported the yoke bar (see appendix 1). A number of similar yoke saddle ornaments, both with and without rings, have been excavated from the tombs of Liu Sheng and Dou Wan at Mancheng, Hebei.[1]

The fantastic feline-like beast form appears on a number of objects in the exhibition and clearly was believed to be an exceptionally fierce guardian (see also cat. nos. 28, 35, 38, 39).