（明末清初大型陶製三彩屋瓦張口龍頭正吻一對）This extraordinary pair of massive size 17th-18th century ancient Chinese dragon roof-tiles (屋瓦) with "San-Cai, 三彩, Tri-Colors” glaze are very impressive and dramatic. Such large tiles were placed on the rooftop of a special building with layers of roofs as anchor pieces to show the status of the building. They were important part of the building not only for their decorative function, they were also part of the structural elements that sealed the gaps in between the wooden structures, therefore, preventing the water leaks. These dragons, with mouth wide open showing sharp teeth and bulging eyes staring at each other sure to scare off the enemies or evils! But there is actually a romantic architectural nickname for these dragons called “Zheng-Wen, 正吻, Main-Kisses” because they “bite” at the two ends of the main horizontal rooftop support.

In ancient Chinese cities, imperial and notable buildings were often built with many figurines and animals from mythology and were often class oriented. The dragons, with their prestige symbol in Chinese culture, they were perceived as creatures with supernatural power and some were thought to be able to command the rain. Some of the old buildings in some ancient Chinese cities, not only were they built with these fancy colorful figures on the roof, they were said to have also been built with lightning conductor (避雷針) to divert the thunders into the ground to avoid the buildings being hit by the thunders directly. These dragon tiles have been damaged and repaired.

Dimensions (each dragon): 16"w x 5 1/2"d x 30"h

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