Since the foundation of the porcelain manufactory in 1710, dragons have been a central motif at MEISSEN. As early as the time of “August the Strong“, the decor of the “Rich Court Dragon“ was applied to porcelain in various designs, with the red dragon being reserved exclusively for the court. Well known is also the motif of the “Ming Dragon“, which is one of the most iconic decorations of the manufactory. It is inspired by the imperial dragon of China, which was immortalized on countless Chinese porcelains, jewelry and buildings during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). But - presumably due to the lack of concrete models - the Ming dragon has some significant differences in its appearance from its Chinese counterpart. This is why porcelain artist Zhuoyu Hou adapted the Ming dragon and transformed it into a real (imperial) fortune dragon. The new lucky charm from MEISSEN was born!
In China, this fortune dragon is called Long and is also known as the Golden Dragon. It stands for fertility, health and prosperity. Along with Qilin (a kind of unicorn), the phoenix and the turtle, Long is one of China's four lucky miracle animals.


From its appearance, the Chinese fortune dragon has the golden body of a snake, the scales of a carp, the head of a water buffalo, the ears of a bull, the horns of a deer, the feet of a tiger and the claws of an eagle. The tail of the dragon ends in a tassel, and the two long whiskers serve as sensory organs. A significant detail is the number of claws. They provide information about the social status of the person who uses the dragon symbol. For a long time, five claws were reserved exclusively for the emperor and his family. Officials of the upper class were allowed to use four claws, all lower ranks only three. It was considered a serious crime to use a golden five-clawed dragon if you were not a member of the imperial family. This could be punished by the death of the entire family. Particularly these claws made the difference between the Ming Dragon and the new Fortune Dragon: While the Ming Dragon has only four claws, the Fortune Dragon has the imperial five. In addition, some details on the head and body have been adjusted, such as the tongue, the ears, the nose, the antlers and the tail.