Chinese zodiac: the Year of the Dragon

Netsuke, Toyokazu, Japan, about 1850-1900. Museum no. A.54-1952

The Chinese use the lunar calendar for festive occasions including the New Year which falls somewhere between late January and early February. The cycle of twelve animal signs derives from Chinese folklore as a method for naming the years. The animals follow one another in an established order and are repeated every twelve years - rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Each animal has particular characteristics and people born in a certain year are believed to take on these characteristics.

Dragon characteristics

People born in the Year of the Dragon are energetic, healthy and have the gift of good fortune and good luck. They have a magnetic personality and it is hard to miss their presence in a crowd. They love competition and have a strong will to win. They do not fail very often but do not take failure gracefully. Dragon people are also perfectionists, setting very high standards. They can be very demanding and arrogant, but generally inspire confidence and trust. They can be terrible snobs, easily impressed by wealth and splendor. Dragon people will have success wherever they go.

Dragon Years: 1904, 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024

The following objects show examples of dragons from different parts of the V&A's collections. The dragon has different meanings to different cultures and religions throughout the world.

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  Roof tile, China

  Roof tile
  China
  About 1500-1650
  Museum no. C.363-1912

  This water dragon ridge tile was probably made for a minor palace or temple hall, and was donated by a man resident then in Tanjin, Hebei province, north China. This tile illustrates a popular legend about the dragon living in the East Sea. It was believed that it rained whenever the monster opened its jaws to spout water. Thus its representation on the roof would protect against lightning and fire.

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  'St. George and the Dragon', carved ivory relief

  'St. George and the Dragon'
  Carved ivory relief
  Dominik Steinhart
  Germany, 1680-1720
  Museum no. A.36-1949

  The subject depicted is the legend of St. George and the Dragon. St. George was a legendary warrior, saint and martyr and is the patron saint of England. To the early Christians, a dragon symbolised evil and in particular, paganism. According to myth St. George was said to have fought a dragon by the seashore, outside the walls of a city, in order to rescue the king’s daughter who was being offered as a sacrifice. In this relief, St. George, dressed in armour and mounted on a horse, brandishes his sword. His lance has pierced the dragon's throat.

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  Plate, China

  Plate
  China
  1683-1722
  Museum no. C.769-1910

  This blue and white dish features decoration of a dragon among clouds and a 'fish-dragon' among waves. In China dragons are an extremely popular decorative motif, found on many different kinds of objects and materials. As well as being one of the animals in the East Asian zodiac the dragon is generally regarded as a supernatural creature and is the subject of numerous Chinese legends. The 'fish-dragon' motif relates to a folk tale in which a golden carp, after leaping up the 'dragon' falls, is transformed into a dragon and flies away. This is regarded as a metaphor for success.

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  Silver cream jug, England

  Silver cream jug
  England
  About 1750
  Museum no. M.248-1921

  The handle of this cream jug is in the shape of a dragon or sea creature. Eastern traditions often associated dragons with water but in Christian cultures they symbolised the devil or temptation. Playful, writhing dragons, flowers, animals and shells were popular forms of decoration from the 1730s, a style known as Rococo. Taking milk or cream with tea was not an established convention in the 1730s and so cream jugs were designed individually in a variety of shapes. This example is a scaled-down version of the helmet-shaped ewer fashionable from around 1710. It is made of silver decorated with a thin layer of gold.

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  Ehon Sakigake from 'Illustrations of Heroes' by Katsushika Hokusai, first volume of set of four woodblock printed books

  Ehon Sakigake
  From 'Illustrations of Heroes' by Katsushika Hokusai
  First volume of set of four woodblock printed books
  Japan
  1836
  Museum no. E.15136-1886

  This is the first volume of a four-volume set of woodblock printed books, Illustrations of Heroes, designed by Hokusai and engraved by Sugita Kinsuke and Egawa Tomekichi. The book contains stories of historical and mythical characters from Chinese and Japanese legend. The illustration here is from the 'Tale of Urashima Taro', a fisherman who falls in love with, and marries, Otohime, the daughter of the Dragon King of the Sea. The illustration here is of the moment when, after the birth of his child, he sees his wife in her true form as a dragon. When he eventually returns to the real world he discovers that some 300 years have passed.

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  Bronze statuette, Italy

  Bronze statuette
  Italy
  16th century
  Museum no. 109-1869

  This statuette of a winged dragon is a development of a medieval tradition of casting representations of fabulous creatures in brass.  It would have been made to order for a wealthy patron as an ornament for the home.

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  Copper and iron rain spout, Germany

  Copper and iron rain spout
  Germany
  17th century
  Museum no. 1208-1872

  Metal rain spouts and stone gargoyles throw rainwater well clear of a building. In Europe they often took the form of animals or beasts, like this dragon. The water flowed from its mouth, making it seem like a living creature. Decorative ironwork is an attractive feature of many German buildings. This dragon rain spout would have projected far beyond the eaves and been supported by elaborately foliated brackets. Originally, the decorative effect was heightened by added colour and gilding.

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  Chinese Imperial Dragon Robe (detail), woven embroidered silk

  Chinese Imperial Dragon Robe (detail)
  Woven embroidered silk
  China
  19th century
  Museum no. T.199-1948

  Dragon robes of such magnificence were worn by Chinese emperors on formal occasions. These imperial clothes are distinguished from those worn by Chinese bureaucrats by the frequent use of yellow and the patterning of twelve small motifs within the standard dragon and cloud layout.

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  Netsuke, Toyokazu

  Netsuke
  Toyokazu
  Japan
  About 1850-1900
  Museum no. A.54-1952

  The netsuke is a toggle. Japanese men used netsuke to suspend various pouches and containers from their sashes by a silk cord. Netsuke had to be small and not too heavy, yet bulky enough to do the job. They needed to be compact with no sharp protruding edges, yet also strong and hardwearing. Above all they had to have the means of attaching to a cord. Netsuke were made in a variety of forms, the most widely appreciated is the katabori (shape carving), a three-dimensional carving, such as this one in the form of a dragon in a Chinese lantern plant. The great skill of this netsuke carver lay in contrasting the shape and texture of this apparently unlikely combination of subjects. A netsuke portraying one of the animals from the East Asian zodiac was particularly associated with New Year festivities of the appropriate year, but could also be used any time during that particular year. It could also be used again in 12 years time in accordance with the cycle.

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  Netsuke, Kagetoshi

  Netsuke
  Kagetoshi
  Japan
  About 1850-1900
  Museum no. A.813-1910

  This netsuke (Japanese toggle) depicts a dragon coiled round a temple bell. From the mid 18th century onwards, customers increasingly demanded imaginative and innovative netsuke. Some of these netsuke had hidden or surprise elements, as in this example. A trick mechanism allows the bell to open, revealing a young woman dancing inside. This combination of motifs clearly alludes to the story of the Dojoji Temple bell. According to this tale of vengeful female jealousy, Kiyohime, the beautiful young daughter of an innkeeper, fell in love with a priest, Anchin, who scorned her persistent advances. The furious Kiyohime first transformed herself into a witch, then a dragon. When Anchin took refuge under the great bronze bell of the temple, she used her magical powers to force the bell to crash to the ground, trapping Anchin inside. At this, she coiled herself round the bell, creating such an intense heat that Anchin was burned to death.