A Gallery Guide to Dragons
Snuff bottle with dragons, Qing dynasty, approx. 1800-1900.
Lunar New Year will be celebrated on Monday, January 23 this year. It is the Year of the Black Water Dragon, which many people believe will bring good fortune and prosperity. Dragons are considered good luck because they symbolize fertility and bring rain – given the weather we’re experiencing in San Francisco today it looks like the dragon has arrived a little early.
In Chinese tradition the dragon is an ancient symbol of rank and power and emperors wore dragons on their robes. Dragons with five claws represent the Emperor, and dragons with fewer claws represent other members of the royal family.
We have a lot of Chinese dragons here at the museum, so we’ve highlighted a few you can visit this weekend in anticipation of the Year of the Dragon. The snuff bottle above and the two pieces below are in our China galleries.
This glorious rug is from Qing dynasty China, approx. 1700-1800.
Detail from bottle with a dragon and a phoenix; Ming dynasty.
There are more Chinese dragons to be found in the Loggia at the top of the grand staircase. Here’s one you can look out for:
Jar with dragons amid clouds, Ming dynasty. From the Avery Brundage collection.
There are many more dragons, large and small, in the museum’s collection. Tell us about your favorite in the comments!
8 Responses to “A Gallery Guide to Dragons”
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Nancy on January 21st, 2012 at 1:50 pm
I think my current favorite is Zhang Daqian’s”Deity trees,” although it really is impossible to chose just one.
janet on January 24th, 2012 at 5:25 pm
Thanks Nancy – that’s great, and not one I would have immediately associated with dragons. In case folks can’t come to see it in person, here is the painting Nancy mentions.
Fer on February 14th, 2012 at 12:30 pm
I think that it is awesome that dragons symbolize fertility and brings rain.i was unaware of this and always saw dragons as a scary thing, evil almost. But it was really nice to have this cleared up.
vikteir on February 16th, 2012 at 12:33 pm
First of all dragon are a very interesting subject matter, a subject matter that I am very fond of. I find it very intriguing how dragons represent good luck because they symbolize fertility and bring rain. Awesome artwork.
meg417 on February 20th, 2012 at 10:23 pm
I am aware that this is the year of the Dragon in Chinese tradition, so it was highly interesting for you to pinpoint a few of the dragons you have on display at the museum. What I did not know was what the dragon represented and learning that the amount of claws on the dragon depicted carries meaning sparks great interest. I will have to come up and visit so I can check out dragons you have up for this year and pay special attention to the claw count.
janet on February 23rd, 2012 at 10:45 am
Thanks for the comments, we hope to see you counting dragon claws in the museum soon! We’re so pleased to be able to share our beautiful dragons and their meanings with more people in this special dragon year.
Lauren on July 1st, 2012 at 10:14 am
I am planning a trip with my son. He is interested in sketching dragons and samuri. Could you direct me to an area in the museum with dragons?
Thank you.
janet on July 2nd, 2012 at 12:13 pm
Hi Lauren, great to hear that you and your son are planning a visit. There are some really wonderful dragon jars like this one in our Korean galleries (second floor) at the moment. My favorite dragon on display, though, is a screen in the Japanese galleries on the second floor. Take the escalator up and you can’t miss it as you enter the galleries. It’s not far from the samurai armor, either. Hope you have a great time! -Janet