Pipe Dunhill THE IMPERIAL DRAGON CUMBERLAND 4103 Numbered Limited Edition 16/88

The Imperial Dragon is a mythical-legendary creature of Chinese and East Asian culture. It was the personal crest of the emperors of China, a symbol of imperial strength, power and authority. During the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), the five-clawed, two-horned dragon was chosen to be used only by the Son of Heaven or Emperor, while the four-clawed dragon was used by princes and other nobles. Similarly, during the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1912) dynasties, the five-clawed “Long” dragon was reserved exclusively for the use of the Emperor.Representations of Chinese dragons differ from each other, but they are often depicted with the head of a horse (or camel or crocodile), four legs, the tail of a snake, the scales of a carp, the horns of a deer, the claws of a an eagle, the ears of a cow and are often represented with a white (or flaming) pearl in the claws or under the chin or in the mouth.The ancient Chinese identified themselves as "Descendants of the Dragon" as the Chinese dragon represented the evolution of the ancestors and the energy of qi. Even today, excellent and exceptional people are sometimes compared or referred to as "dragons".During the Qing Dynasty, the Blue Dragon was represented on the first national flag of China.The Imperial Dragon pipes were produced as limited edition pipes to celebrate the importance of the imperial dragon in Chinese and East Asian history and culture. The Imperial Dragon pipe is a classic Billiard group 4 (4103). The pipe is decorated with an extraordinarily detailed, hand-crafted imperial dragon-shaped screen lid in precious metal and precious stones and an engraved precious metal ferrule. The Imperial Dragon pipes are presented in a prestigious leather-bound book and are accompanied by hand-signed limited edition certificates. As for the serial numbers, all numbers containing the number "4" have been excluded and all pipes number "1" remain in the White Spot archive in London and are not for sale. These editions are strictly limited to just a few issues around the world - 7 pipes in Amber Root & 9ct Yellow Gold & Sapphire Eyes ("Limited to 8 pieces")- 70 pipes in Bruyere & Solid Silver & Ruby Eyes ("Limited edition of 88 pieces")- 70 Cumberland & Solid Silver & Ruby Eyes pipes ("Limited edition of 88 pieces")- 70 pipes in Shell Briar & Solid Silver & Ruby Eyes ("Ed. Limited to 88 pieces")