chinese dragon, christies auction, dragon throne carpet, imperial throne carpet, luminous pearl, ming dynasty
A rare imperial throne carpet from Beijing’s Forbidden City that likely sat under the throne of the Ming emperors was sold for US$7.74 million on November 23 at a Christie’s Paris auction. According to AsiaOne and foreign media news, the 16 foot 7 inch by 14 foot 7 inch carpet features two five-clawed dragons. A ...
Chinese gatekeepers are a traditional architectural ornament. They are known as Dragons, Qilins, and Shils. The concept, which originated and became popular in Chinese Buddhism, features a pair of highly stylized ornaments which were thought to protect a building from harmful spiritual influences and harmful people that might be a threat. Used in imperial Chinese palaces and tombs, they subsequently spread to ...