2024 Lunar New Year Exhibition

Exhibition

 

Empire State Plaza South Concourse
Through February 24, 2024
Lunar New Year
Year of the Dragon

The dragon holds profound cultural significance across various Asian countries, especially during Lunar New Year celebrations. In Chinese culture, the dragon is revered as a symbol of power, strength, and good luck. Its majestic presence in vibrant parades and dances embodies the spirit of the festival, ushering in prosperity for the coming year. In Vietnamese traditions, the dragon is a symbol of authority, often associated with the Ly Dragon, representing the nation’s imperial power. Similarly, in Korean folklore, dragons are revered beings believed to bring rain for a bountiful harvest. 

 

The cross-cultural prevalence of the dragon underscores its universal role as a symbol of auspicious beginnings and positive energy during the Lunar New Year festivities. 

 

This exhibition shows how the dragon serves as a captivating muse in Asian art and has appeared as a visually powerful motif for thousands of years across Asia. All the cultural artifacts presented here can be found in the collections of New York State museums and institutions.

Thailand Late 14th-15 century
Architectural Form of a Makara Finial

Stoneware with iron-brown underglaze décor

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

“This architectural finial for a temple has assumed the form of a mythical dragon creature, clearly derived from the Indic makara but with strong indigenous elements, such as the prominence given to the snake-like body rather than that of the more traditional crocodile. Here the bearded dragon appears to emerge from the jaws of a makara, represented at the base of the finial.”

- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image of an Architectural Antefix in the form of a Makara Finial

China Late 19th Century
Court Robe with Design of Five-Clawed Dragon, Qing Dynasty

Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University

The “dragon robes” (gunlongpao or longpao) worn by Chinese court members and officials during the Qing dynasty had a complex system of color, design, and symbols to denote status.

The five-clawed, two-horned dragon became the prevalent symbol of the emperor, especially during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Navy and gold court robe with a design of a five-clawed dragon from the Qing Dynasty in China

Korea Late 19th century
Dragon Jar

Porcelain with cobalt decoration underglaze

The Brooklyn Museum

Porcelain jars with dragon motifs were used to hold water, wine or flowers during court ceremonies in the Joseon Dynasty.

The shape of the jar, the grayish-blue cobalt and the loosely drawn dragon with its exaggeratedly painted expression are typical examples of dragon jars from Korea during this period.
Image of a blue and white stoneware jar featuring dragon decorations

China Qing Dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795)
Yellow Enameled Plate with Dragons

Enamel on copper

Albany Institute of History and Art

Believed to have been the origin of which all other animals evolved, the dragon is one of the most prominent visual motifs of Chinese culture and can be found in paintings, sculpture, jewelry, architecture, textiles, clothing and ceramics.

The dragon is most commonly depicted as an amalgamation of nine (a divine number in Chinese tradition) different animals: a stag’s horns, a camel’s head, demon eyes, a snake neck, a belly like a clam, carp scales, a hawk’s claws, tiger paws, and ears like a cow.
Image of a yellow enameled plate with dragons from China

Korea 17th-20th centuries
Cloud Dragon with Magic Stone (Yeouiju)

Ink and color on paper

Binghamton University Art Museum

According to the National Museum of Korea, “Dragons have long been revered as auspicious creatures that ward off disasters and evil spirits. As symbols of the “Son of Heaven,” dragons were frequently used to decorate the thrones, palanquins, and robes of Asian kings and emperors. In Joseon paintings, dragons were typically painted among the clouds, near water, or flanked by tigers.”
Image of a cloud dragon with magic stone (yeouiji) from Korea

Vietnam 14th or 15th century
Jar with Dragon

Stoneware with underglaze blue

Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University

In Vietnamese culture, the symbol of the dragon is closely related to legend of Lac Long Quân, king of the dragons who lived in the water and believed to have been the first Vietnamese king.

Representing power, nobility and immortality, the five-clawed dragon was a symbol of imperial rulers. Four-clawed dragons symbolized higher-ranking officials and three-clawed dragons represented commoners.
Image of a white and blue stoneware jar with dragon

Mongolia 18th-19th century

Brass with pigment, inlaid with copper and silver

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

“Although part of the jewel-born family associated with the Buddha Ratnasambhava, white Jambhala is said to have been born from the right eye of the compassionate bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. He is identifiable by the dragon he rides and his gold sword, a variant of the khatvanga ritual staff, which he holds in his left hand. He alleviates suffering from poverty and sickness and purifies nonvirtuous karmic actions.”

- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image of a brass statue of a white jambhala on a dragon

Indonesia late 19th century
Slento

Wood, metal

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

“This playful, now obsolete, Javanese instrument combines antiquated tuned, knobbed bronze bars with a dragon-shaped frame, designed to appeal to European collectors.
A trough beneath the bars serves as a resonating chamber.”

-The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Image of a Slento instrument featuring a dragon shape