Red lacquered wooden toggle decorated on one side with the face of a monster with large fangs and on the other side with the Eight Trigrams (Pa Kua or Ba Gua). There is little doubt that the monster served as a deterrent for evil spirits. For an explanation of the ‘Ba Gua’ which were used in divination see Quick Find 4139. The toggle dates from the late Qing (1644 – 1912) to the early Republic period (1912 – 1947). Height 5.4 cm. Width 6.9 cm. Depth 1.1 cm.