Scales of Gold, Wings of Jade: The Dragon in Art

Celebrating the Year of the Dragon (2024), this focus exhibition in the first-floor Meinig Family Gallery explores the theme of the dragon in art from the East to the West. Drawn from The Museum’s rich permanent collection, the show complements The Lost World of Dragons which runs concurrently. More than twenty works that enlist dragon imagery including painting, ceramics, ivory, sculpture, etchings, engravings, posters, and paintings from the seventeenth through the twentieth century will be on view. Dragons and similar mythical beasts have captured the imagination of artists and craftsmen for centuries, and the historic narratives such as Saint George and the Dragon explore the dual nature of the fearsome creatures. In some cultures, dragons are a threatening symbol of evil, while in others, they are perceived as a symbols of strength and wisdom.