Details
- Object type
Jade dragon
- Place Associated
China (place of manufacture)
- Date
20th Century
- Materials
jade
- Dimensions
overall: 273 mm x 196 mm x 7 mm 557 g
- Description
-
This writhing dragon, standing on its tail, is carved from jade. This large sized item is modern. Jade working is one of the world’s oldest artistic traditions. It achieved extraordinary levels of development at a very early date: the youngest objects on display are two millennia old, the oldest were made some 4000 years ago. Jade - called Yu in Chinese - is extraordinarily tough, so much so that modern craftsmen use steel and diamond-tipped drills. Historically, jade was laboriously worn down, using a paste made from abrasive sand mixed with water. Creating perfect shapes from such an uncooperative material would have required physical and mental stamina.
- Credit Line/Donor
Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944
- Collection
Burrell Collection: Jade, Jasper, Agate, etc
- ID Number
22.132
- Location
Burrell Collection