Chinese dragons

Detail of a dragon on a panel in the Forbidden City, Beijing, China. In Imperial China, only the emperor’s family could possess depictions of dragons. Five-fingered dragons, like the one seen here, were specifically for the emperor. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Four-fingered dragon on the Nine Dragon Screen of Datong, China. While five-fingered dragons were only for the emperor, four-fingered dragons were for other members of the imperial family. In this case, the dragon screen was built in the late 14th century at the palace of Zhu Gui, thirteenth son of the Ming dynasty’s first emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

The emperor’s five-fingered dragons on a wooden panel at Da Ci’en Temple, Xi’an, China. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Four-fingered dragon on the Nine Dragon Screen of Datong, China. Screen-walls were constructed within palace gates to protect homes from negative energy and unwelcome spirits. Dragons—as symbols of luck and power—were particularly potent protectors, always appearing in odd numbers, from one to nine. Built in the 14th century, Datong’s Nine Dragon Screen is the largest and oldest extant glazed screen, outlasting even the palace it was built to protect. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

The emperor’s five-fingered dragons bracketed by phoenixes, symbols of the empress, at the Summer Palace, Beijing, China. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Detail of one of the four-fingered dragons on the Nine Dragon Screen, Datong, China. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Dragons in the Forbidden City, Beijing, China. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Four-fingered dragon on the Nine Dragon Screen in Datong, China. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Dragons on a decorative panel in the Forbidden City, Beijing, China. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Detail of the Nine Dragon Screen in Datong, China. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Da Ci’en Temple, Xi’an, China. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Shang and Zhou bronzes

Western Zhou hollow-legged li vessel for cooking meat and grain in the collection of the Capital Museum, Beijing. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

China during the Shang (1766–1046 BCE) and Zhou (1045–221 BCE) dynasties had the most sophisticated bronze-making techniques of the ancient world, skills which led to increasingly complex forms as the centuries progressed. The most plentiful and best known bronzes from these periods are ceremonial receptacles for wine or food, many of which have been discovered in graves. Common shapes, like the ones pictured in this post, were based on even earlier ceramic cooking and serving containers, including:

li — vessel with rounded, hollow legs used for cooking food (see above image)

ding — a rounded vessel on three or four solid legs, also used for cooking food (see below)

yan — steamer resembling a wide-mouthed vase on top of a li base (see final image)

gui — squat, curving food vessel with a wide foot (see below).

The symbolic meanings of the animals and abstract patterns that cover the exteriors of these vessels are still mysterious, although the objects’ clear ritualistic function strongly suggests they did possess some purpose beyond purely aesthetic decoration. Two of the most ubiquitous motifs, especially in the Zhou periods, are the highly abstracted kui dragon and the tao-tie (or taotie) mask.

Although tao-tie translates as “glutton mask” or “ogre mask,” art historian Sherman E. Lee has pointed out that the name is a modern misnomer (Lee 35–36). The “mask” probably represents a number of different creatures, and may even act as a composite of multiple animals at once. The face becomes more legible (and the term “mask” more problematic) once we realize that, despite the frontal appearance of its large eyes, the tao-tie is in fact composed of two profiles joined along a vertical axis. Knowing this, we can see the curving lines that sometimes fill the space at the outer edges of the face are often actually the body of the creature. In some cases, the tao-tie and kui designs merge, appearing as two dragons facing each other, or as a single dragon split from its center (as seen in the last two dings pictured below).

Even without knowing the exact meaning or purpose of each symbol, the complex and shifting relationships between these oft repeated, yet constantly developing, images suggest their creators were inspired by a similarly complex and mystical conception of the world. And it is this transformative slippage—between front and profile views, real and mystical creatures, multiple designs on the same vessel, and the meanings of similar designs on different containers—that makes Shang and Zhou vessels so visually fascinating, intellectually engaging, and creatively inspiring.

Tripod ding (or li ding) with three bands of taotie designs in the Capital Museum, Beijing. Mid-11th–mid-10th century BCE, Western Zhou period. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

You wine vessel with bat-head (?) and kui designs in the Shaanxi History Museum, Xi’an. Mid-11th–mid-10th century BCE, Western Zhou period. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Zun vase with taotie design in the Capital Museum, Beijing. Mid-11th–mid-10th century BCE, Western Zhou period. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Tripod ding with cicada and kui designs in the Shaanxi History Museum, Xi’an. 16th–11th century BCE, Shang period. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Tetrapod ding for cooking meat in the Capital Museum, Beijing. Mid-11th–mid-10th century BCE, Western Zhou period. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Gui food container with taotie designs in the Capital Museum, Beijing. Mid-11th–mid-10th century BCE, Western Zhou period. In this case, the wide foot beneath the bowl is propped off the ground by additional legs in the shape of elephant heads. The taotie here also appears to represent a stylized elephant, as suggested by the long, trunk-like noses and well-defined ears. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

You wine vessel with leopard (?) and kui designs in the Shaanxi History Museum, Xi’an. Mid-11th–mid-10th century BCE, Western Zhou period. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Gui food container with taotie and leopard (?) designs in the Capital Museum, Beijing. Mid-10th–mid-9th century BCE, Western Zhou period. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Flat-legged tripod ding with taotie design in the Capital Museum, Beijing. Mid-11th–mid-10th century BCE, Western Zhou period. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Tripod ding with taotie and kui designs in the Capital Museum, Beijing. Mid-11th–mid-10th century BCE, Western Zhou period. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Detail of yan steamer with taotie design in the Capital Museum, Beijing. Mid-11th–mid-10th century BCE, Western Zhou period. Photo by Renée DeVoe Mertz.

Reference: Sherman E. Lee, A History of Far Eastern Art, 5th ed., Prentice Hall: 1994.

Date and type of each pictured vessel confirmed by museum labels.