This 'China Dragon Art - Jade Dragon In A Sea Of Flowers Canvas Print' is a digital impressionistic journey into ancient Chinese mysticism.
Chinese Dragons are an imagined reptile that represent qi energy and evolution from the ancestors in ancient Chinese culture. This is symbolism that has been present for literally thousands of years. In 1987, for example a dragon statue was found in Henan, China, that dated back to the fifth century BC.
In the Shang period (roughly estimated to be between 1766-1122 BC) you see the emergence of Jade Dragon Amulets, and in this piece of canvas art, you can see a pictoral representation of a jade dragon in a red sea of flowers, on a multi-colored, but mostly green and pink sea of swirls
In terms of what other creatures Chinese Dragons were based on, the ancient Chinese scholar, Wang Fu, who was around in the Han Dynasty (202BC - 220AD), described the nine anatomical resemblances as follows:
"The people paint the dragon's shape with a horse's head and a snake's tail. Further, there are expressions as 'three joints' and 'nine resemblances' (of the dragon), to wit: from head to shoulder, from shoulder to breast, from breast to tail. These are the joints; as to the nine resemblances, they are the following: his antlers resemble those of a stag, his head that of a camel, his eyes those of a demon, his neck that of a snake, his belly that of a clam (shen, 蜃), his scales those of a carp, his claws those of an eagle, his soles those of a tiger, his ears those of a cow. Upon his head he has a thing like a broad eminence (a big lump), called [chimu] (尺木). If a dragon has no [chimu], he cannot ascend to the sky."
In some circles, it is considered bad luck to depict a dragon facing downwards, as it is seen as disrespectful to place a dragon in such manner that it cannot ascend to the sky.
So, you'll be glad to hear that our dragon is facing upwards!
Anyway, this is one that I'm sure you are going to LOVE!!
It's incredibly colorful. There is a ton of vibrancy and energy here, and for me, this Dragon looks like it is SMILING!
How cool is that?!
EVERYONE should have a smiling dragon on their walls!
