Coffered Vault with Carved Dragons, Chinese, 1444. Wood with later gilding and polychrome, 14 ft 7 in: 14 9/16 × 15 1/8 feet (175 1/8 × 181 5/8 inches). Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust. 31-118/1 A
This ceiling is from a temple in Beijing, China. It’s made of wood and there are no nails in it!
There’s one big dragon in the middle. See if you can find the 8 smaller dragons on the ceiling.
Detail:Coffered Vault with Carved Dragons, Chinese, 1444. Wood with later gilding and polychrome, 14 ft 7 in: 14 9/16 × 15 1/8 feet (175 1/8 × 181 5/8 inches). Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust. 31-118/1 A
In China, 9 dragons are lucky and symbolize power.
If there are 9 dragons on the ceiling, what does that tell us about this temple ceiling?
