Coiled Dragon Roundel Relief

An eastern dragon chasing its own tail into a perfect ring. The serpentine body curls once around a hollow centre, the maned head tucked low near the middle while the whiplike tail sweeps up and over the top. Flame-shaped spines flare off the spine and limbs like licking fire, and a clawed foot reaches out at the lower right. It is sculpted as a shallow relief medallion, the muscular coils reading clearly against the open negative space at the heart of the circle. A piece like this makes a striking wall roundel, a door or gate centrepiece, a chair-back medallion, or an inset panel for a cabinet. The circular composition and the open eye in the middle also suit it to a plaque you can hang or a trivet-style disc. Because the coils overlap and the spines are fine, this rewards a careful finishing pass and good tool clearance. Print notes: • Machine on a flat blank; a 3mm ball for roughing and a 1mm tapered ball to bring up the mane, fang and scale texture. • Hardwoods with even grain (cherry, maple) hold the thin flame spines best; back-cut carefully to avoid chip-out. • For a hanging version, pocket a keyhole into the reverse before flipping. • 3D printing? Print face-up flat, or angle at 30° with supports under the outermost spines and the reaching claw.