Chocolate cup and saucer with dragons and phoenixes
Manufactory Meissen Manufactory German
Not on view
A service decorated with red dragons was delivered to Augustus III, elector of Saxony and king of Poland, between 1734 and 1739. The Red Dragon pattern is now thought to have originated at Meissen, but its concurrent appearance on Chinese and Japanese porcelain obscures the source of its invention. The phoenix in the center, as a symbol of the female (yin) principle, complements the dragon as that of the male (yang) principle.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.