Original Art by Rodney McMillian, Qing Dynasty Gold Couched Dragon Robe Lead Outsider, Folk and Fine Art Auction

Known for his installations using found objects, Rodney McMillian (American, b. 1969) explores complex and loaded subjects by connecting contemporary culture with history. McMillian uses symbols of domesticity to explore and examine the intersection of race, class, gender, and socioeconomic policy. He is a professor of sculpture at the UCLA School of Arts and Architecture and a recipient of an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts in 2002. McMillian made Garden of Eden, an acrylic on plastic with elements of collaged enamel, in 2000. It is a leading lot in the upcoming Outsider, Folk, and Fine Art sale, presented by Potter & Potter Auctions. Created on a plastic shower curtain, Garden of Eden has a pink and gray background with plants and flowers rising upward from the lower horizon edge. This piece is signed, titled, and dated verso. Its inscription is a note to Margaret (the Chicago artist Margaret Wharton) thanking her for her generosity. McMillian worked for her for about a year, and this was his gift to her. 

In ancient China, dragons were associated with the emperors and fenghuang (mythological birds) with empresses. On clothing, the Chinese dragons denote the superiority of the wearer and his aspirations. Dragon and fenghuang robes were forbidden attires for anyone but the emperors since the Song, Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties. A gold couched dragon robe from the late 19th century Qing dynasty is available in this sale. It is a majestic, well-preserved robe decorated in gold thread against a blue background with dragons, clouds, and other animals surrounded by auspicious emblems. The gold thread was made by beating high-karat gold into a gold leaf and pasting it onto a paper support with lac from a lac tree. The gilt material would then be burnished and cut into fine strips before being wrapped around a silk thread core. View the complete auction catalog and register to bid by visiting Potter & Potter Auctions.