Burmese antique Chinthe mythological figure wood statue

Description

This is a Chinthe wood statue from Burma. It is from the late 1800’s, early 1900’s. It probably had a light cover of paint of different colors because you can see the faded colors on the medium dark wood. Over time the paint faded and came off. The statue measures 19 inches from bottom of stand to top of head, 13 inches total height without stand, 4 inches wide and 6.5 inches deep.
The Chinthe is a lion-dragon like creature that is often
found on each side of the entrance of a temple/pagoda in Burma, Cambodia and Laos. They are a sign of protection for the building that they guard. This one was probably from a small alter or from part of a temple. The Chinthe is on Burmese money called Kyat. It is also used symbolically on the royal thrones of Burma because the people love and revere the Chinthe.
Predating the use of coins for money
, brass weights cast in the shape of mythical beasts like the Chinthe were commonly used to measure standard quantities of staple items.