SOARING DRAGON - Hand Carved Wooden Xuan Paper Weights

Pair of wooden Xuan Paper (Shuen Paper) weights with soaring dragons hand carved in them. Beautiful item that is used to weigh down large sheets of xuan paper when working on intricate artworks.

 

Pair of high quality wooden Xuan Paper weights with carved dragons

 

The dragon holds a particularly long and important history in Chinese culture, dating back to ancient times. As it might be expected, then, the dragon also is a staple of Chinese art.

The Soaring Dragon Paper Weights continue this tradition of featuring dragons in artwork, with an intricate carving depicting two dragons playing. Here we will explore the legend of the dragon in Chinese culture a little more in-depth to see the mystical creature’s importance not only in these beautiful paper weights, but also in all of Chinese art.

The Dragon (Long) is one of the most powerful, respected and well-known creatures in the Chinese nation. As legend has it, the dragon is a combination a several animals - it has the body of a snake, the claws of an eagle, the scales of a fish, the horns of a goat, the beard of a lion and the tail of a hyena. Impressively, it can both change its body size and make itself completely invisible. It is a mighty god that is king of all living things, and can control the ocean and the rain. Therefore, the dragon was usually used as the sign of the emperor.

As an agricultural society, ancient Chinese people often suffered because floods and droughts would plague the land. Because of this, they eventually created the dragon as a creature that could control the rain. At the time, this was considered the ultimate power, and the dragon quickly became known as the most powerful creature that existed. In addition to the dragon’s remaining prominence in modern art, we can also still find a hint of the dragon in the name Long, which is the sound of thunder.

Not only exquisitely beautiful on their own, the carvings on the gorgeous Soaring Dragon Paper Weights take on more significance with the dragon theme. Depicting a more playful and light hearted nature of the dragon, the paper weights will serve not only as a practical and useful addition to your art studio or home, but also as a wonderful decoration steeped in ancient Chinese tradition. Last but not least, the weights come in a beautiful red and gold box that will perfectly complement the carvings.