Closer to Dragons and Demons

What I always enjoy about a guided tour of an exhibition is how much more you actually see and how much more you learn compared to just wandering around on your own, especially when the guide is the curator who created the exhibition.

At the Groninger Museum, that curator is Lecong Zhou, who enthusiastically shares how the exhibition Dragons and Demons, which showcases 5,000 years of Asian ceramics, came into being and how he approached the project.

Anders Collection

After studying art history in Groningen and Utrecht, Lecong Zhou became curator of Asian ceramics at the Groninger Museum. He was tasked with making the Anders family’s ceramic legacy accessible to the public – a collection of over 1,400 ceramic objects from China and Japan. Quite a challenge, especially considering the museum already houses the largest collections of Asian art and applied arts in the Netherlands. Zhou chose to highlight the rich history and culture of China and Japan through a wide variety of objects from different periods and dynasties, each offering insight into rituals, worldviews, and daily life. Out of the entire collection, about 400 objects were selected and beautifully displayed in the Starck Pavilion.

Starck Pavilion

This cylindrical space within the museum is designed as a labyrinth of rooms, inviting visitors to wander and make new discoveries at every turn. The pavilion is adorned with white drapes and soft lighting, creating a serene setting in which the ceramics are beautifully showcased.

What Is Ceramics?

Zhou begins the tour with a short lesson on what ceramics actually are. It’s a collective term for earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain, each with distinct materials, firing temperatures, characteristics, and uses. Visitors are allowed to touch examples of these materials, feeling the differences in texture and weight. This tactile experience helps us understand what we’re looking at and prepares us to appreciate the craftsmanship on display.

Naturally, the oldest pots and jars are made of earthenware, the simplest production method. What’s fascinating is that these objects are 5,000 years old, untouched since 1920 and preserved underground in pristine condition. The black geometric decorations, however, feel surprisingly modern.

The Eight Immortals

We pause at the Eight Immortals, a well-known concept from ancient Chinese mythology. In one room, a short animated film introduces the figures. We also view a sculpture depicting the mythological group. Though of recent origin, the sculpture captures the essence of the story in one striking image. The eight figures lounge casually on a fire-breathing, hissing dragon rising from churning waves. Clearly, they are unbothered by the chaos; they are immortal, each granted their status by a unique attribute that symbolizes their character and power. Zhongli Quan (钟离权) carries a fan that controls life and death, while Lü Dongbin (吕洞宾) wields a sword to defeat evil. But it’s not all bravado; He Xiangu (何仙姑), the only woman in the group, carries a lotus or a mortar, symbolizing healing and inner peace. Lan Caihe (蓝采和), a gender-neutral figure often shown with a basket of flowers, represents virtue and harmony with nature. Their power lies in spiritual freedom and letting go of worldly desires.

Contemporary Superpowers

I couldn’t help but think of modern-day superheroes, brought to life on screen by Hollywood, Pixar, and Netflix. I loved The Incredibles (1 and 2), where Bob and Helen Parr and their three kids fight evil with their powers. It also reminded me of Heroes, that endless series where people develop supernatural abilities after a solar eclipse, like telepathy, time travel, and flight. The enduring popularity of such stories shows that heroes transcend time and culture. And for all ages too: who doesn’t have a forgotten pile of Pokémon cards in a drawer somewhere? Each character with its own personality and power.

Porcelain Conquers the World

We move on to showcases filled with delicate bowls and dishes adorned with floral motifs, graceful figures, and oriental landscapes. By now, we can distinguish between materials and glazing techniques, but that’s only the beginning. The illustrations, colors, shapes, and presence (or absence) of maker’s marks all provide clues about the objects’ origins and uses.
As early as the 7th century, Chinese artisans were able to produce porcelain, a refined product made exclusively for the emperor and his family. In the 17th century, due to internal conflict and civil wars, potters began catering to a wider market, and let their creativity run wild.

Trade between China, Japan, and Europe took off around the same time. The first shipments of Chinese porcelain were a massive hit among wealthy Europeans, who soon placed custom orders for items with more Western shapes, decorations, or even personalized initials; Chine de commande.

Meanwhile, Dutch artisans in Delft tried to imitate the Chinese porcelain. Though they didn’t master the material, they created the hugely popular Delft Blue: exotic motifs on less refined ceramics for a more modest price.

Handle with Care

Given the fragility of ceramics, the exhibition also explores the art of repair. Kintsugi, the Japanese technique of highlighting cracks with gold, is on display, but so are more improvised fixes using glue and staples that rescued many a shattered dish from the trash.
Some cargo survived disasters unscathed: various sunken VOC ships yielded intact porcelain. One such ship, De Geldermalsen, sank in the South China Sea on January 3, 1752. It wasn’t discovered until 1984, when its rich cargo 203 chests of porcelain and gold, valued at 68,000 guilders at the time – was auctioned by Christie’s.
Among the recovered treasures was a large statue of Zhongkui, the legendary demon-slayer still widely revered today. Nearly undamaged, it has been resurrected for this exhibition, rightfully earning its place.