Reclining Scaled Dragon Sculpture

A guardian beast caught mid-lounge, scales and all. Far from a flat lattice, this is a fully three-dimensional sculpture of a reclining oriental dragon-lion sprawled back over a wedge-shaped plinth. Every surface is worked: overlapping fish-scale skin across the belly and flanks, a mane of tight rolling curls cresting the spine, a stubby clawed limb reaching forward, and a scaled tail that coils up and over at the rear. The head tucks low at the base, giving the creature a playful, tumbling posture rather than a stiff heraldic pose. It makes a striking newel-post cap, gatepost ornament, shelf guardian or feng-shui accent. The angled base lets it perch on a stair return or sit flat as a standalone figure. Making notes: • This is 3D work: carve on a 4-axis/rotary CNC, or split and 3D print if you lack the axes — resin captures the scale texture best. • Rough with a 6 mm ball-nose, finish scales and mane curls with a 1–1.5 mm tapered ball; expect a long finishing pass. • In timber, choose a tight, even grain (lime, pear, maple) to hold the fine scale detail without tear-out. • A wiped-on antique glaze over a pale base makes the scales and curls read from across the room.