The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Miracle of the Dragon

Miracle of the Dragon

1600s
Image: 109.2 x 58.5 cm (43 x 23 1/16 in.); Overall: 205.4 x 76.4 cm (80 7/8 x 30 1/16 in.)

Did You Know?

The generous application of brilliant mineral pigments is still evident throughout this painting.

Description

Buddhist disciples are grouped around a dragon in the lower right part of the scroll. The figures' varying levels of composure at the miraculous appearance of the dragon indicates how far removed each figure is from worldly affairs. The lay people's body language expresses their surprise. In contrast, the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, in the upper right has been seated in meditation for such a long time that birds have begun assembling twigs for a nest atop his head. His eyes remain closed, and his body still, unmoved by either the sudden materialization of the dragon or the proximity of the monkey, deer, and birds.

Dragons have been part of Buddhist culture since antiquity; in Chinese Buddhism the dragon is often interpreted as a symbol of enlightenment.
  • ?–1991
    (Alan Carter Covell and Kyu J. Pak-Covell, Idyllwild, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1991–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Turner, Evan H. “Selected 1991 Acquisitions.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 79, no. 2 (February 1992): 63–83. Mentioned: p. 83, no. 180 www.jstor.org
  • Power and Possession: Chinese Calligraphy and Inscribed Objects – Chinese Gallery Rotation 240a, 241c. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (August 13, 2018-February 3, 2019).
    The Cleveland Museum of Art; Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 238). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (January 27-July 21, 2014).
  • {{cite web|title=Miracle of the Dragon|url=false|author=|year=1600s|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1991.9