Antique Lamps – The Dragon and the Pearl

Mankind has always developed mythologies in an effort to explain and understand his place in the world. This has led to the development of abstract thoughts and ideas that require symbols to bring the ideas into form. The most ancient of these mythological symbols is the Chinese dragon.       

Chinese philosophical thought is the oldest in the world, with a recorded history covering thousands of years. China has had three principal philosophic influences, Confucianism, Taoist and Buddhist. All three of these thought systems influenced Chinese philosophical thought, with Confucianism being the major contributor.

Confucius was born in 551 BC and his teachings developed into the guiding principals for Chinese imperial government and society for the following 2500 years. Confucianism as government policy was only replaced in 1905.

All of these important philosophies taught their content and principals through the use of symbols.  Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism all used the language of symbol to convey their teaching with a very primary and most ancient symbol being the dragon.

Recent Chinese archeological finds have revealed dragon symbols dating back for about six thousand years; these include ancient philosophic texts and shamanistic objects engraved with primitive dragon symbols. 

It is difficult to establish exactly where the dragon symbol originated, but the most likely source can be found in an ancient legend, (one of those clichéd legends, lost in the mists of time!) The legend refers to a primitive Chinese society of six to seven thousand years ago and the practice of early tribal groups adopting and worshiping a particular plant or animal as a totemic guide and protector of the tribe.

 

One of the largest and most powerful of these tribes was located in central China on the lower reaches of the Yellow river. Its totem was the snake, known to them as the Dragon. They believed that the dragon was responsible for leading them to victory in intertribal wars. When the tribe was victorious in battle they included the conquered tribes totem to their snake / dragon totem, believing that their totem was strengthened by the addition.        

 

For example, the conquest of a tribe with the deer as their totem would result as deer’s antlers being added to the head of the snake. In this way the well known image of the dragon came into being.  

Chinese mythology describes the dragon as the creature of Nine Resemblances.

The head of a camel, the antlers of a deer, the eyes of a hare, the ears of a bull, neck of a snake, belly of a clam, scales of a carp, claws of an eagle and with the paws of a tiger.

Chinese art is highly symbolic and can be read and understood by its use of symbol. The dragon is often shown with a large white pearl in its jaws, or, held in its claws. Early traditional Chinese mythology believed that 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 arrival of Buddhist influence, about 67 AD, the red ball of the sun, evolved into a white pearl, sometimes shown as a flaming pearl and known as the night shining pearl. Buddhist symbolism teaches that the night symbolises the darkness of ignorance and the shining pearl, the teaching of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the light of truth, or, as understood in the West, as the pearl of great price. 

There has been and, no doubt there will continue to be, many discussions, papers and theories relating to the long Chinese tradition of depicting the dragon with the pearl, many of these erudite theories can be lengthy and learned, but the fact remains, nobody really knows the origin of the pearl. It is, however, accepted that the dragon and his relationship to the pearl, now holds a lost, as yet undiscovered  philosophic and abstract meaning behind it.

In Western art and mythology, the dragon is seen as a malevolent creature, violent and breathing fire, but not in Chinese art and mythology. The Dragon is associated with wisdom– conferring great blessings on those they favoured. Dragons are especially associated with water, rivers, rain and the seasons.

The dragon was believed to ascend into the sky in the spring to make rain for the crops and returned to his underwater palace in the autumn. As a farming people, the Chinese peasants prayed to the dragon for good harvests, with a special spring festival, with fireworks and gongs to awaken him from slumber.

The dragon was revered and honoured and so strongly associated with the weather, that he was known as the rain master.  His eyes flashed lightning, the beating of his wings caused the wind and his breath, the rain.

The dragon was the supreme symbol of power and authority and was the personal symbol of the Emperor, the Yellow Dragon and like the sun, elusive, august and solitary. The Emperor ruled with the mandate of Heaven and was believed to have dragon’s blood in his veins; all of his personal possessions were given the prefix of dragon: dragon throne, dragon gown, dragon bed etc.  

This article is illustrated with a pair of large antique, Chinese dragon lamps, described as -:

 

 

A very large and impressive pair of early 20th century, Chinese dragon, bottle shaped lamps. The lamps with a pale grey green celadon glaze. Celadon has a traditional relationship to jade, considered by the Chinese as the most noble of all gems and known in Chinese as Yü, meaning treasure.

The name, Celadon, in ceramics, refers to a glaze colour from deep brown to a variety of grey greens to yellow, but normally in the green range. The name is derived from 18th century France; the term denoted a pale willow-green named after Chelation, the hero of D’Urfes’s drama, Astree, who wore a pale green cape. 

The lamps designed with dramatic, well-modelled, high profile, relief decoration of four clawed dragons in pursuit of the fiery pearl. The two dragons are depicted facing one another, suspended in mid air and apparently rushing, as if in eager play, toward a large pearl floating between them. The two dragons wrapped around the 34″ / 86.5cm circumference of the lamps.

 

 

In traditional Chinese art the dragon holds a most prominent place. Being one of the four supernatural creatures, (Ssu Ling).  The dragon is often portrayed amidst clouds in pursuit of the Sacred Pearl, the symbol of enlightenment, or, seen as the Flaming Pearl, a circular object aflame, which may have originally been a symbol for the sun.

Chinese art is highly symbolic and can be read via its symbol rich content. The dragon is seen as the symbol of power and authority. The dragon was the symbol of the Emperor of China, who ruled by the Mandate of Heaven and was believed to have descended from the dragon.

The lamps seated in the original carved and polished Chinese wooden stands. The lamps with custom made, gold plated bronze lamp caps.

These dragons need 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, the mythology of the dragon is still greatly revered and deeply ingrained in Chinese culture, as example, with the festival of New Years dragon dance and the dragon boat festivals held throughout Asia. China produces vast amounts of modern porcelain and much of this production is still decorated with the dragon. Contemporary China, although seemingly far removed from an ancient, mythological past, is still universally recognized by the symbol of the dragon.

 

The Antique and Vintage Table Lamp Co specialise in antique lamps with an exclusive on-line range of over 100 unique lamps.

Lamps are shipped ready wired for the US, the UK and Australia.

For further information you are invited to visit their web site at -:

http://www.antiquelampshop.com

© The Antique and Vintage Table Lamp Co 2011