Reliefs with Design of Dragons

About the Art

Each of these stone sculptures presents a bird’s eye view of two dragons flying above churning water and guarding a single, large pearl at the center. In China, dragons are favorable creatures. They are associated with rain and springtime and are a symbol of life and prosperity. Dragons, particularly with five claws such as these, were also symbols of imperial authority. Like the dragon, the emperor was seen as wise, strong and prosperous. A pearl often appears with a dragon and symbolizes enlightened wisdom. The dynamic carving and the diagonal composition closely resemble the large dragon panels on the stairway for a palace hall in the Imperial Palace in Beijing built by the Ming court in the early 15th century.

Research suggests that these reliefs may have come from the Chongshan Temple in Taiyuan in Shanxi Province. Originally built in the Tang dynasty (618–907), it was renovated in 1381 in the Ming dynasty by Prince Zhu Gang, son of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (reigned 1368–1398), in honor of his mother, Empress Gao.

FEATURED IMAGE
Artist(s) unknown (China, Shanxi province, Ming dynasty, 1368–1644), Reliefs with Design of Dragons, late 14th–early 15th century, marble, 50 1/2 x 90 x 4 1/2 inches (128.3 x 228.6 x 11.4 cm). Gift of Mrs. Harrie G. Carnell, 1928.48.1–.2