Jade dragon

Late Western to early Eastern Han dynasty (c. 1st century AD)

Height: 4.5 cm

This pale jade dragon would have been a burial object. Its fine detail is rendered in the scales and flowing mane. Its mouth is open in a vicious snarl, showing carved individual teeth.

Similar Examples

Similar Han dynasty jade dragons can be seen in Chinese Jade Animals, Hong Kong Museum of Art, 1996, plate no.42 and Collectors’ Exhibition of Archaic Chinese Jades, Teng Shu-ping, 1999, plate no.152