Limited Masterworks Wall Plate Auspicious Dragon

The five-clawed long dragon determines the timing of the seasons and the harvest as well as symbolising wealth and, above all, happiness, kindness and intelligence. It is one of Asia's oldest mythical creatures and plays a key role in the continent's culture. In 2022, MEISSEN artists Zhuoyu Hou rendered the iconic MEISSEN Ming Dragon as an amicable beast of fable. Here, it fuses far eastern symbolism with heritage-rich craftsmanship from MEISSEN, Zhuoyu Hou's adopted cultural home, on two wall dishes included in our Limited-Edition series for 2024 - the year of the dragon.

"Auspicious dragon in Clouds"
Our "Auspicious dragon in Clouds" joyously and in no way fearsomely guides its sinuous, glitteringly golden body through a downy bed of clouds in pursuit of its flaming pearl. The dragon, symbol of happiness and peace, was created with the aid of a special glazing and gilding technique that gives rise to contrasting shiny and matt areas and imparts an eminently tactile quality to the dragon's scales. Clouds and our matt-gold dragon float through a cobalt-blue sky together seemingly in defiance of the laws of gravity. The cobalt blue, surely the Porcelain manufactory's best-known underglaze colour, stands out strongly against the gold of the dragon, an effect that exerts an irresistible pull on the beholder and conjures up all sorts of images in their mind.