Incense Burner with Dragon Base

For many decades, one of the most popular works of Asian art at the Allen has been an impressive Japanese bronze sculpture of a large, coiling dragon. Made as a work of export art during Japan’s modernizing Meiji period (1868–1912), it came to the college in 1904 as a gift from a Cleveland collector.

For years, it was used as a fountain in the museum’s rear courtyard, causing damage due to exposure. In the 1990s, the dragon was conserved and has been exhibited as a work of art inside the museum ever since. However, few people know that the dragon was only the base of a much larger work. Now, after a full restoration thanks to a generous grant from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, the complete work—roughly 7 feet high—can be seen in its entirety.