Art History Workshop Talk: Dragons and Dragon Kings in Chinese Painting
Image credit: Chen Hongshou (1598-1652), The Dragon King Revering the Buddha, 1368-1644. Hanging scroll, ink and color on silk. 107.9 x 51.9 cm. Gift of Charles Lang Freer, Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. F1916.604.
OCTOBER 8, 2020, 4 PM CST
Dragons and Dragon Kings in Chinese Painting
Organized and hosted by the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History, The University of Texas at Dallas
Dr. Jacqueline Chao, Senior Curator of Asian Art, will discuss the role and representation of the Chinese dragon, particularly the dragon king, in Chinese Buddhism and Buddhist art. In early Chinese Buddhist mythology, the Chinese dragon serves as one of the eight protectors of the Dharma (tian long ba bu 天龍八部), and we find that the Sanskrit terms for naga and nagaraja (serpent-like creatures in early Indian mythology that play prominent roles in early Indian Buddhist texts) were translated into Chinese as dragon long (龍) and dragon king long wang (龍王). By highlighting a few Chinese artworks that include illustration of the Chinese dragon king as influenced by the transmission of Buddhism from India to China, this presentation will illuminate the unique role of the Chinese dragon and dragon king in Chinese Buddhism, as well as explore the transformation of its painted image.