Celebrating 15!
Loading

Jar with Dragon Design

1700s

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

A mythical creature believed to have the power to make rain, the dragon is a prominent symbol of rulers in premodern East Asia. In underglaze cobalt blue, a dragon on this jar is depicted flying through clouds to catch a flaming, wish-granting pearl called a cintamani. In the royal court, the shorter type of dragon jar was used to hold wine, the tall type, such as this one, was for holding a bouquet of flowers.

Show lessRead more
Download this artwork (provided by The Cleveland Museum of Art).
Learn more about this artwork.
  • Title: Jar with Dragon Design
  • Date Created: 1700s
  • Physical Dimensions: Diameter of base: 14.7 cm (5 13/16 in.); Overall: 39.5 cm (15 9/16 in.)
  • Provenance: Robert W. Moore, Los Angeles, CA, (Christie's, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Type: Ceramic
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1986.85
  • Medium: porcelain with underglaze blue
  • Original Title: 백자 청화 운룡무늬 호 (白磁靑畵雲龍文壺)
  • Fun Fact: A mythical creature believed to have the power to make rain, the dragon is a prominent symbol of rulers in pre-modern East Asia, thus the image of dragons was used exclusively for the king's paraphernalia.
  • Department: Korean Art
  • Culture: Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392-1910)
  • Credit Line: Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
  • Collection: Korean Art
  • Accession Number: 1986.85
The Cleveland Museum of Art

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Interested in Design?

Get updates with your personalized Culture Weekly

You are all set!

Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.

Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites