Ca. 202 BC-220 AD. A beautiful rectangular stone relief depicting a dragon in left profile with a high-arched tail. A short beard extends from the lower jaw of the open mouth of the dragon. The prominent eyes are set below finely incised brows and a pair of slender horns swept back above a rounded ear on either side of the neck, which is finely detailed with small feather-like scales, as are the upswept wings. The back of the relief is unworked, suggesting that in its original context, this relief was meant to be seen only from the front. Good condition. Believed to bring good luck and represent peace, courage, and wisdom, dragons were considered auspicious symbols in the Han dynasty and came to be associated with imperial power. The Han Dynasty, which ruled between 202 BC-220 AD, brought great prosperity and stability to China, reigning over a golden age of classical Chinese civilisation during which China saw major advances including the widespread development of a monetary economy and the invention of paper, as well as much progress in the decorative arts. For more information about the Han Dynasty, see Milleker, Elizabeth J. (ed.) (2000). The Year One: Art of the Ancient World East and West. Exhibition catalogue. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art.Size: L:710mm / W:520mm ; 50+kgProvenance: From the private collection of a Somerset gentleman; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1990s on the UK /European art markets.