Imperial Dragon Pocket Watch

Replica of the Imperial Dragon 1900's style Pocketwatches.

No chain included and it comes in a blue box with red lining.

The dragon is a common motif in Chinese decorative art, in porcelain, lacquer, ink or paint as well as cloisonné.  Depicted in the Christian West as a symbol of paganism an evil, the fabulous animal was seen as the embodiment of beneficial energy and good luck in China.  During th rule of the Ming dynasty it became the emblem of the Emperor.  Chinese artists often depicted the dragon chasing pearl through the skies.  Here the pearl is rendered in red a color associated, like the yellow of the dragon, with the Emperor,  The white of the clouds that stand out from the cobalt blue sky was difficult to obtain in enamel until relatively recently.  Its presence in antique cloisonné pieces lends them a much greater value.