Period:Late Yuan (1271–1368) or early Ming (1368–1644) dynasty) Date:14th–early 15th century Culture:China 元末明初 Medium:Ivory Dimensions:H. 10 1/8 in. (25.7 cm); Diam. 4 9/16 in. (11.6 cm) Classification:Ivories Credit Line:Rogers Fund, 1919 Accession Number:19.190a, b This disc either may have been used as inlay to decorate another a piece of furniture or a screen, or functioned as an independent work of art. Known as chihulong, the four snakelike dragons — two large, two small — prowling along the surface are identifiable by their long, narrow necks, the raised lines across their backs, and their branching tails.
Period:Late Yuan (1271–1368) or early Ming (1368–1644) dynasty) Date:14th–early 15th century Culture:China 元末明初 Medium:Ivory Dimensions:H. 10 1/8 in. (25.7 cm); Diam. 4 9/16 in. (11.6 cm) Classification:Ivories Credit Line:Rogers Fund, 1919 Accession Number:19.190a, b This disc either may have been used as inlay to decorate another a piece of furniture or a screen, or functioned as an independent work of art. Known as chihulong, the four snakelike dragons — two large, two small — prowling along the surface are identifiable by their long, narrow necks, the raised lines across their backs, and their branching tails.