Antique Chinese Ceramics
Antique Lamps - The Dragon and the Pearl
Mankind has always developed mythologies in an attempt to explain and understand its place in the world. This led to the development of abstract thoughts and ideas that symbols need to bring the ideas in the form. The oldest of these symbols is the mythological Chinese dragon.
Chinese philosophical thinking is the oldest in the world with a recorded history over thousands of years. China has three major philosophical influences, Confucianism, Taoist and Buddhist. All three of these thought systems affected Chinese philosophical thought, with Confucianism as the greatest contribution.
Confucius was born in 551 Christ and his teachings developed guiding principles for the Chinese imperial government and society for the next 2500 years. Confucianism as the government was only replaced in 1905.
All these important content and philosophies taught their clients through the use of symbols. Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism all the language of the symbol for their education it with a very basic and the oldest symbol dragon.
Recent Chinese archaeological finds have shown symbols dragon dates from about six thousand years, these include ancient philosophical texts and shamanic objects engraved with dragon primitive symbols.
It is difficult to precisely where the dragon symbol to determine its origin, but the most likely source can be found in an old legend, (one of those clichéd legend, lost in the mists of time!) The legend refers to a primitive Chinese society 6-7000 years ago and the practice of the early tribes to take the worship of a particular plant or animal as a totemic guide and protector of the tribe.
One of the largest and most powerful of these tribes were located in central China on the lower reaches of the Yellow River. The totem was the snake, known to them as the Dragon. They believed that the dragon was responsible for leading them to victory in tribal warfare. When the tribe was victorious in the battle they conquered the tribes under their totem serpent / dragon totem, believe that their totem was enhanced by the addition.
For example, the conquest of one tribe with the deer as their totem would be added as deer antlers at the head of the snake. In this way the familiar image of the dragon originated.
Chinese mythology describes the dragon as a creature of the Nine parables.
The head of a camel, the antlers of a stag, the eyes of a hare, ears of a bull neck of a snake, belly of a clam, scales of a carp, claws of an eagle and the legs of a tiger.
Chinese art is highly symbolic and can be read and understood by the use of the symbol. The dragon is often depicted with a large white pearl in its mouth, or, holding in its claws. Beginning of the traditional Chinese mythology believed the dragon chases the sun and this is often depicted in Chinese art with the dragon In pursuit of a flaming red ball.
But with the advent of the Buddhist influence, about 67 AD, the red ball of the sun, has become a pearl white, sometimes portrayed as a flaming pearl, known as the pearl night. Buddhist symbolism shows that on the night of the darkness of ignorance and the pearl symbolizes the teachings of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the light of truth, or, as understood in the West, as the pearl of great price.
There was and is, without doubt, will continue be many discussions, papers and theories related to the long Chinese tradition of images of the dragon with a pearl earring, many of these theories are long and erudite learned, but it remains a fact, nobody really knows the origin of the pearl. It is accepted that the dragon and his relationship with the Pearl, now a lost, undiscovered property philosophical and abstract meaning behind it.
In Western art and mythology, the dragon is seen as an evil creature, breathing fire and violent, but not in Chinese art and mythology. The Dragon is associated with wisdom - providing great blessings that they favored. Dragons are particularly associated with water, rivers, rain and the seasons.
The dragon was believed to ascend into heaven in the spring rain for the crops and returned to his underwater palace in the fall. As an agricultural nation, the Chinese farmers prayed to the dragon for a good harvest, with a special spring festival, with fireworks and gongs for him to wake up from sleep.
The dragon was revered and honored, and so strongly associated with the weather, he was known as the rain master. His eyes flashed lightning, striking its wings causes wind and breath, the rain.
The dragon was the ultimate symbol of power and authority and was the personal symbol of the Emperor, the Yellow Dragon, and as the sun, elusive, solitary and August. The emperor ruled with the mandate of heaven and was believed to have dragon blood in his veins, all his personal belongings were given the prefix of the dragon: dragon throne dragon dress, dragon bed, etc.
This article is illustrated with a few large antique Chinese dragon lamps, defined as -:
A very large and impressive pair of early 20th century, Chinese dragon, bottle-shaped lamps. The lamps with a pale gray green celadon glaze. Celadon is a traditional relationship with jade, regarded by the Chinese as the most noble of all gems and familiar Chinese and Yü, meaning treasure.
The name, Celadon, ceramics, refers to a glaze color from dark brown to a variety of gray-green and yellow, but normally in the green range. The name is derived from 18th-century France, the term referred to a pale-green willows named after chelation therapy, the hero D'Urfes's drama, Astrée, who wore a green cape.
The lamps designed with dramatic, well-shaped, high profile, relief decoration of four clawed dragons in pursuit the fiery pearl. The two dragons are depicted facing each other, hung in the air and seems almost as eager to play, in the direction of a large pearl floating between them. The two dragons wrapped around 34 "/ 86.5cm circumference of the lamp.
In traditional Chinese dragon art holds a very prominent place. As one of the four supernatural creatures (Ssu Ling). The dragon is often depicted surrounded by clouds in the exercise of the Sacred Pearl, the symbol lighting, or, seen as the Flaming Pearl, a round object on fire, which originally may have been a symbol of the Sun
Chinese art is highly symbolic and can be read from the symbol-rich content. The dragon is seen as a symbol of power and authority. The dragon was the symbol of the Emperor of China, ruled by the Mandate of Heaven and was believed to have descended from the dragon.
The lamps are in the original Chinese cut and polished wooden stands. The lamps with custom, gold bronze lamp caps.
These dragons have a lot of space, with a lamp base circumference of 34 "/ 86cm!
Late Qing Circa 1910 Overall height (including shade) 34 "/ 86.5cm
In modern China, is the mythology of the dragon is still honored and deeply ingrained in Chinese culture, for example, with The celebration of New Year dragon dance and dragon boat festivals held throughout Asia. China produces large quantities of modern porcelain and much of this production is still decorated with the dragon. Contemporary China, though seemingly far removed from an ancient, mythological past, is still universally recognized by the symbol of the dragon.
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