Tamtam’s Goast Flower: Growing a vibrant Saudi music community

Known mononymously as Tamtam, the artist chose early in her career to go by a single name — a decision that helped to maintain her privacy while allowing listeners to focus on her message and music. (Instagram)
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Updated 13 April 2025
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Tamtam’s Goast Flower: Growing a vibrant Saudi music community

ALKHOBAR: With her signature curls and radiant smile, internationally acclaimed Saudi singer-songwriter Tamtam brought her boundless energy to Alkhobar this week, aiming to nurture and connect the Kingdom’s growing music scene from the ground up.

Known mononymously as Tamtam, the artist chose early in her career to go by a single name — a decision that helped to maintain her privacy while allowing listeners to focus on her message and music. Over time, the name became synonymous with her genre-blending sound and global appeal by singing in both English and Arabic, and her bold advocacy for creative freedom.

The event, hosted at Bohemia Cafe and supported by MDLBEAST Radio, was part of Goast Flower’s community activation — a grassroots initiative launched by Tamtam to support emerging artists and independent creatives. The gathering transformed the space into a pop-up creative hub, where artists exchanged merchandise, contacts and ideas over coffee — free to anyone with a hand stamp at the door. Entrance was free with sign-up, allowing MDLBeast Radio to collect people’s contact information to stay connected.

The event at Bohemia was hosted by MDLBEAST Radio’s Ninyaz Aziza along with Tamtam. 




The event, hosted at Bohemia Cafe and supported by MDLBEAST Radio, was part of Goast Flower’s community activation — a grassroots initiative launched by Tamtam to support emerging artists and independent creatives. (AN photo)

MDLBEAST Radio co-hosted their first such event in Tamtam’s hometown, Riyadh, a few weeks earlier — a sahoor at Beast House — and this was their second stop on this mission.

“Honestly, I’m so, so happy. This is really cool because we get to play the music,” Tamtam told Arab News.

During the Riyadh sahoor, they merely mingled but did not perform or listen to music.

“In Alkhobar, so many people showed up — people are excited. There aren’t many events going on in Alkhobar, so I really feel like everyone is super appreciative,” Tamtam said.




Zamzam with their merch exchange swag. (Photo by Goast Flower)

She added: “The whole point of this is for artists and people in the music industry to meet, and that’s what’s happening. Like literally everyone’s telling me, ‘I’ve met so many people, thank you so much.’ I’m so happy — we need it. The goal has been achieved again.”

Raised in Riyadh and now based between the Kingdom and Los Angeles, Tamtam’s music explores themes of identity, gender equality and cultural connection. She blends alternative R&B with pop and personal storytelling, and her independent streak led her to create her own platform for creative control.

“Goast Flower is an independent music label I started a couple of years ago,” she said. “I’ve been releasing my music through it — it was a way for me as an independent artist to have my own label because I don’t want to be controlled by anyone. It’s amazing to have that freedom as an artist. I’m very grateful.”

Beyond being a label, Goast Flower functions as a creative hub. Its first major project, the Saudi Music Community, is a public database designed to help local talent connect.

“I literally collected all the artists I knew. Fulana, another Saudi artist, collected all the artists she knew. We put together a Google document and made it live,” she explained. “Now there’s another document where people can join and add their information, and someone checks it. In this way, artists can find each other in Saudi Arabia. A lot of artists are like, ‘Hey, I’m looking for a female rapper,’ or ‘I’m looking for a guitar player for my live show.’ And now they can just go to the database and find people.”

In Alkhobar, the idea found fertile ground.

Singer-songwriter, architect, photographer and university professor, Yazeed Al-Amasi, who attended both the Riyadh and Alkhobar events, said: “I’ve been living here in Dhahran since 2011, and this is the first time I feel super connected to the music community,” he told Arab News. “I don’t want to say it, but I think people are friendlier and more open to collaborating in Alkhobar. Or maybe people in Riyadh were just tired from Ramadan.”




Tamtam meets Zamzam. (AN photo)

A key part of the gathering was the merchandise exchange, a concept introduced by Tamtam to encourage artistic support without the barrier of money. Participants brought T-shirts, lyric booklets, CDs, stickers and creative works to swap with one another — artist to artist.

“The idea is that instead of spending money, artists are supporting each other. It’s a gesture of support that this community is all about,” Tamtam said.

“I really, really believe in this community, and I don’t think anyone can grow without a community in any industry,” she added. “I just feel like the music industry in Saudi needs this push, and the foundation needs to be stronger.”

During the event, guests took the mic to introduce themselves and share what they were seeking — producers, vocalists, instrumentalists, collaborators. Photographers offering band headshots and live performance images also stepped forward, strengthening the bonds in the room.

“I actually discovered local musician Zamzam through the Saudi Music Community when I was putting this together,” Tamtam said.

Zamzam, a frequent Bohemia performer and lover of all music genres, walked in as Tamtam was speaking about her. Zamzam, who also goes by a mononym, found the database through Tamtam’s initiative and was excited to meet her in person.

Both shrieked in delight on noticing they were face-to-face.

“Maybe we will have a Tamtam and Zamzam collaboration in the future,” someone said in the background.

“I added myself to the database!” Zamzam told Arab News. “I follow Tamtam and I saw the (Instagram) story about Goast Flower. Whenever I see a label or something that could be a creative hub, I want to connect.”

The venue itself played a role. Bohemia Cafe has become something of a beacon for alternative and indie creatives in the Eastern Province.

One of them, Fatima Falath, shared that she had written a song inspired by her visit to Bohemia.

“Two years ago, I was sitting at Bohemia and got inspired by the drawing on their cup,” Falath told Arab News.

“I had some matcha — even in the song we mentioned matcha,” Falath said with a laugh. “I sang and wrote the lyrics, and my friend and producer, who goes by Hajj Alibaba, did the background music. I made all my friends and family listen to it — it’s a driving-around-in-the-car song. I haven’t published it yet, but I’m inspired to publish it tonight at this event because we wrote it here.”

Everyone at Bohemia had a chance to listen to Falath’s creation for the very first time, and many other musicians joined after and played their songs.

Rohit Jayakaran of MDLBEAST Radio drove in from Riyadh to support the event along with Tamtam and the team. For nearly four hours, they were fired up to be there. He was beaming as the songs were being played.

“We’re very excited to be part of the Saudi music community and support it as MDLBEAST Radio,” Jayakaran told Arab News. “We believe that great things will come out of this community. Bohemia — this is the place where people come for music in Sharqiya. What I discovered today is that there is a community — and it’s a growing community. It’s eclectic. It has all sorts of dynamic energies in here. And it’s just really nice to have this here because it didn’t exist before. It’s amazing. It’s awesome.”

Jayakaran hopes that connections made will showcase their collaborative talents at the next live show at Bohemia, in Riyadh, or just in general.

For now, Goast Flower remains Tamtam’s personal label — though she doesn’t rule out signing other artists in the future.

“I really, really respect the artist. Unless I know I can invest a lot of money in the artist — money, time and effort — I’m not going to sign them,” she said. “A lot of the big people in this industry take advantage of artists. Artists don’t make enough money from streaming. The music business has a lot of work to do.”

She hopes that Saudi Arabia can do things differently.

“Saudi is such a special place right now because it’s the beginning of the music industry. We are in a place where we can shape it in a different way — we don’t have to copy the West. We can learn from the mistakes happening in other industries.”

Next, Goast Flower is headed to Jeddah, where they will host a similar activation on April 16 at Hayy Jameel.

It will essentially go from the heart of the Kingdom to the two coasts, like a hug to the music community in Saudi Arabia.


Paul Weller, Primal Scream and Annie Mac back Kneecap amid political backlash over pro-Palestine message

Updated 01 May 2025
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Paul Weller, Primal Scream and Annie Mac back Kneecap amid political backlash over pro-Palestine message

DUBAI: English singer Paul Weller, Scottish rock band Primal Scream and Irish host and DJ Annie Mac voiced their support this week for Irish rap group Kneecap, who recently came under fire for displaying a “Free Palestine” message during their performance at the Coachella festival in the US. 

The artists joined over 40 others in signing an open letter organized by Kneecap’s record label, Heavenly Recordings, which condemns what it describes as a deliberate attempt to suppress the group’s voice and remove them from public platforms. 

The backlash against Kneecap intensified after videos from past performances resurfaced — one from a November 2023 concert in London that appeared to show a member expressing support for Hamas and Hezbollah, and another in which a group member is seen shouting: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”

British politician Kemi Badenoch, who has served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Conservative Party since November 2024, has since called for legal action to be taken against the group. 

Meanwhile, Glastonbury Festival is facing calls to withdraw Kneecap from its upcoming lineup, and several scheduled performances, including one at the Eden Project in Cornwall, have been cancelled.

In an open letter, Kneecap’s label, Heavenly Recordings, claimed the group was facing a deliberate and coordinated effort to silence them and remove their presence from the music scene.

The letter reads: “As artists, we feel the need to register our opposition to any political repression of artistic freedom.”

“In a democracy, no political figures or political parties should have the right to dictate who does and does not play at music festivals or gigs that will be enjoyed by thousands of people.”

“Kneecap are not the story. Gaza is the story. Genocide is the story,” it says. “And the silence, acquiescence and support of those crimes against humanity by the elected British Government is the real story.” 

“Solidarity with all artists with the moral courage to speak out against Israeli war crimes, and the ongoing persecution and slaughter of the Palestinian people,” the letter added.


Syrian artists explore themes of forgiveness in Damascus exhibition 

Updated 01 May 2025
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Syrian artists explore themes of forgiveness in Damascus exhibition 

  • ‘The Path’ is a group show that curator Marwan Tayara says is ‘about healing’ 

DAMASCUS: In a city battered by years of conflict, a quiet revolution was unfolding earlier this month inside an unfinished concrete shell.  

“The Path,” a two-week exhibition curated by the Madad Art Foundation and staged in the once-abandoned skeletal Massar Rose Building in Damascus, confronted Syria’s pain, but, curator Marwan Tayara stressed: “This is not about politics. It’s about healing.” 

Tayara — who co-founded Madad alongside the late Buthayna Ali, a fine arts professor whose vision of a show on forgiveness inspired “The Path” — continued: “For us, the artist is a patriot. The bakery feeds the body, and art feeds the soul. The soldier fights for his country, and so does the artist — but with ideas, with beauty.” 

Lamia Saida pictured with her installation 'To Memory, Once More.' (Robert Bociaga)

Ali, who died in September, had envisioned a show that would offer something softer than some of Madad’s previous exhibitions around topics including war and disaster. “She wanted to make an exhibition about forgiveness but never had the chance,” artist Rala Tarabishi told Arab News. “We decided to do it as a gift for her — and for Syria.”  

Even the venue was part of the show’s message. “This is a construction site,” said Tayara. “It’s symbolic. Syria is unfinished. But we’re building. Art has to be part of that process — not just rebuilding walls, but rebuilding identity.” 

Tarabishi’s installation, “Embed,” was a forest of resin swords frozen mid-fall, through which visitors could walk. “When I embed my sword into the earth during a fight, I’m putting an end to it — in the most peaceful way,” she said. But none of the swords in “Embed” had yet reached that point. “The closer the sword is to the ground, the closer I am to forgetting, or forgiving,” Tarabishi explained. “Some things are harder to let go of.” 

Visitors to 'The Path' in front of Dalaa Jalanbo’s 'Accumulation.' (Robert Bociaga)

For viewers, she hoped, it would be “as if the swords are memories or people who caused them pain. I wanted them to lean more into forgiveness, so they could live a more peaceful life.”  

But for Tarabishi, forgiveness is anything but simple. “It’s very hard. Some things feel too big for us to truly forgive, so we just coexist with our pain instead.” 

Eyad Dayoub’s installation, “Crossing,” was equally visceral. Suspended black and red wires hung like fishing nets. “Each level represents a period in Syria — full of darkness and blood,” Dayoub said. “The material looks like something that traps fish. I feel like I’ve been hunted by my country. I’m stuck — I can’t leave it, and I can’t love it either.” 

Detail from Rala Tarabishi's 'Embed' installation on display at 'The Path.' (Robert Bociaga)

Creating the piece was part-therapy, part-confrontation. “Our dreams were lost. But I’m trying to find love again between me and my country,” he continued, adding that some visitors wept when he explained the symbolism of the piece. “People are ready to feel again. After war, we became numb. But I see us becoming sensitive again.” 

If Dayoub’s wires evoked entrapment, Judi Chakhachirou’s work addressed instability. Her installation featured a trembling platform — a metaphor for emotional imbalance. “When someone hasn’t forgiven you — or you haven’t forgiven them — you feel unstable. You don’t know what’s wrong, but you’re not OK,” she said. 

Her piece was a message to the living: “Take your chances now. Don’t leave people in your life hurt. Forgive — or at least try. Because one day, it’ll be too late.” 

Rala Tarabishi in front of her installation 'Embed.' (Robert Bociaga)

The war has buried so much in silence, she added, that emotions — even tears — feel like progress. “Some people cried when they saw it. Others said it made them feel calm, like they finally understood what was bothering them,” she said. “I hope my next work will be more hopeful.” 

For Mariam Al-Fawal, forgiveness is less emotional and more philosophical. Her interactive installation, “A Delicate Balance,” draws on Karl Popper’s formulation of the paradox of tolerance. Visitors can rearrange its colored puzzle pieces on wooden stands to construct a final, diverse pattern. 

“If you tolerate all ideologies — including the intolerant — you destroy tolerance itself,” Al-Fawal explained. “Without exclusion, there can be no true inclusion. To see the full picture, you have to flip the pieces, adjust them. That’s how people work too. You can’t have one color, one shape; you have to embrace difference.” 

Mariam Al-Fawal with her interactive installation 'A Delicate Balance.' (Robert Bociaga)

Al-Fawal’s puzzle asks viewers to build balance. “People interacted with it differently,” she said, “But most walked away with a shifted perspective. That’s why I made it interactive: the process carries the message.” 

Lamia Saida contributed “To Memory, Once More,” which consisted of a set of blood-red, burned and shredded canvases suspended like raw meat.  

“I thought if I wanted to express these memories visually, it had to be meat,” she explained. “That’s what they feel like. That’s why they hang. That’s why they bleed.” 

Massar Rose Building in Damascus, Syria. (Robert Bociaga)

Syria’s trauma, for Saida, is not abstract —it is textured, fleshy, and inescapable. And yet, through art, it is manageable. “Art is more than therapy,” she continued. “When I make something honest, I feel like I forgive people. I find stability.” 

Her final painting is a single, steady line. “It’s the calm I reached after expressing everything else,” she said. 

More than 400 visitors visited the exhibition daily, according to the organizers. Some brought questions. Some brought grief. Others brought quiet. “Even political officials came,” Tayara said. “Not to control. Just to understand.” 

What started as a tribute to a beloved teacher has become a mirror for the country. “All Syrians have this memory of grief,” said Tarabishi. “Whether from war or daily life — it’s what binds us.” 

Madad hopes to bring “The Path” to other cities too.  

“We believe in the power of art,” said Tayara. “It won’t rebuild Syria alone. But it might rebuild the spirit. That’s where everything begins.” 


Marvel’s misfit superheroes find community in ‘Thunderbolts*’ 

Updated 01 May 2025
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Marvel’s misfit superheroes find community in ‘Thunderbolts*’ 

  • Stars Florence Pugh and David Harbour discuss the latest Marvel movie 

DUBAI: In the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie “Thunderbolts*,” directed by Jake Schreier, the focus isn’t just on larger-than-life action; it’s on the messy, complicated relationships between a team of misfits learning to trust each other. 

For stars David Harbour and Florence Pugh, that emotional core was the most important part of the process.  

“For me, most of the preparation was about really fleshing out these character arcs,” Harbour, who plays Soviet super soldier Red Guardian, told Arab News. “This movie sinks or swims not on its IP, but on its really complex relationships between these characters that you don’t know that much about. Our job was to infuse it with a lot of heart, humor, life and soul.” 

Pugh — who made her MCU debut in 2021’s “Black Widow” as the trained assassin Yelena Belova and is now headlining her first MCU movie — echoed that sentiment. 

“There was so much heart and pain already there,” she said. “When you’re playing large characters, you have to find ways to make it feel authentic, especially when you’re dealing with accents or heavy dialogue. A lot of our rehearsal process was about finding cleaner ways to get to the point — rewriting a few lines, making sure the characters said exactly what they needed to say to one another.” 

Florence Pugh and director Jake Schreier on set. (Supplied)

The cast spent two weeks in rehearsals, crafting scenes that highlighted the tangled emotions between their characters. “It was great fun, especially when you have a director who really wants you to be fully involved and make it your own,” Pugh said. 

The film follows a motley crew of anti-heroes — Yelena, Red Guardian, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Robert “Bob” Reynolds (Lewis Pullman), and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) — who must embark on a dangerous mission that will force them to confront the darkest corners of their pasts as they take down a common enemy. 

Beyond individual dynamics, the movie taps into deeper themes of isolation and the need for connection — what Harbour describes as the “epidemic of loneliness” in the modern world. 

“When these characters first come together, there’s a lot of lying about how they’re doing, a lot of pretending,” Harbour said. “People are afraid. They’re isolated. We feel connected because of these devices we carry, but they don’t really provide the sustenance we need as human beings.” 

Pugh elaborated on that point. “We’ve reached a point where so many people have so many insecurities, and they feel like they’re not right, and they feel like they’re not getting it right, and (what they see on social media) is making them feel like their life isn’t as beautiful or as colorful or as perfect as those posts,” she said. “And I think when we watch characters that have these immense flaws also trying to figure it out, it helps. Of course it helps.” 

Harbour believes the film captures the essence of personal salvation: finding strength in community.  

(From left) David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Wyatt Russell and Florence Pugh in 'Thunderbolts'. (Supplied)

“I worry about that phrase ‘We have to save ourselves,’ because I actually think it’s that we have to save each other,” he said. “We have to not sit there alone going, like, ‘I gotta do something.’ I feel like that’s the anxiety that’s killing us. The vulnerability of, like, ‘Maybe I ask someone,’ or ‘I find a group of people who are willing to take me as I am and to see the good in me.’ That’s one of the most beautiful moments in this movie.” 

Schreier, director of the acclaimed 2023 comedy-drama series “Beef,” said Marvel president Kevin Fiege encouraged him to take a different approach to this particular superhero story. 

“One of the real lessons of ‘Beef’ was that stories about something that feels smaller, or about emptiness, are no longer niche. They are actually universal. I think everyone goes through some version of that at some point in their lives, maybe to different degrees. But it isn’t small to tell a story like that. And so, this was a chance — on the biggest level — to see if a story like that could resonate at scale. That felt like a really wonderful opportunity.”


Kef Hayyak? Seeing Saudi neighborhoods through the eyes of emerging filmmakers

Updated 30 April 2025
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Kef Hayyak? Seeing Saudi neighborhoods through the eyes of emerging filmmakers

JEDDAH: Eighteen aspiring filmmakers have taken to the streets of their neighborhoods armed with nothing but their phones and a vision for the grassroots documentary challenge, “Kef Hayyak?”

The project, initiated by Art Jameel in collaboration with the Red Sea International Film Festival, invited participants to reflect the spirit of their communities in short documentaries.

Months after the February 2025 open call, the winners have been announced, and their films will premiere as part of the Red Sea Documentary Days this May at Hayy Cinema.

The program, which began as a concept in 2021 and has since grown into an annual platform, continues to break down barriers in filmmaking by expanding access to wider creative communities across Saudi Arabia. For the first time, the 2025 event also welcomed participants from Makkah, with one of the city’s filmmakers making it to the jury-selected top three.

The initiative culminates in a public screening at Hayy Cinema, featuring the three jury-selected winners — Eyad Al-Zahrani’s “Between,” Asia Lajam & Nad’s “A World Between Buildings,” and Alisha Khan’s “Nam Ghar, Jeddah” — alongside two audience favorites, “Hay Alakaber” by Amal Al-Zahrani and Othoub Al-Bedaiwi, and “From the Olives to the Sea” by Haya Al-Bhaisi and Mohammed Khalid.

A jury, comprising head of Hayy Cinema, Zohra Ait El-Jamar, director and actress, Fatima Al-Banawi, and director and actress, Ophelie Legris — evaluated the films based on creativity, relevance and narrative strength.

El-Jamar told Arab News: “‘Kef Hayyak?’ draws its essence from the name of Hayy Jameel and reflects our ongoing mission to connect with new audiences in meaningful ways. The project was first imagined in 2021, and after the success of its first edition, it has grown into an annual platform that empowers emerging filmmakers.

“Through this short documentary film competition, we invite aspiring talents to explore their neighborhoods using just their phones. I created the concept with the vision of breaking down barriers in filmmaking and expanding access to a wider creative community. It’s also a powerful way to document the ever-changing urban fabric of Jeddah — and now Makkah.

“We see this as a powerful launchpad for emerging talent, and we’re actively working to expand the program with deeper mentorship and professional opportunities in the years to come,” she added.

Audience Choice Award winner, Al-Zahrani, who hails from Makkah, said: “The movie covers a neighborhood that lacks identity and how it affects me and the residents in our day-to-day lives. Winning was such a heartwarming experience, seeing my work acknowledged and the story of my people and neighborhood embraced and loved. I plan to keep improving my documentary skills and hope to release a movie about a lawyer later this year.”

Khan’s winning documentary explores the Musrefah neighborhood of Jeddah and its vibrant Desi (Pakistani and Indian) community.

“My film ‘Naam Ghar, Jeddah’ is a documentary film which acts as a time capsule for me to look back on not only my neighborhood but the people living in it, especially the often-overlooked Desi community in Jeddah, where even the people themselves think the outer world is not interested in them,” Khan said.

“It aims to explore their dreams, identities and quiet resilience through simple, human questions, like what is your favorite color or what gives you happiness.”

Khan believes in the power of cinema to humanize and connect communities, emphasizing how platforms such as Hayy Jameel empower storytellers like herself. Her goal is to keep documenting life in Jeddah, capturing its present for future generations.

Al-Bhaisi told Arab News: “‘From the Olives to the Sea’ is a short documentary that explores the contrast and emotional connection between two places — Jeddah, where I feel a deep sense of belonging, and Gaza, the place I’m originally from but never fully connected with.

“Winning the Audience Choice Award honestly means the world to us. It shows that people connected with our story, and that’s all we ever wanted — to be heard, and to make others feel something real.”


Christie’s Islamic and Indian art auction showcases rare pieces

Updated 30 April 2025
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Christie’s Islamic and Indian art auction showcases rare pieces

LONDON: Ahead of its “Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds including Rugs and Carpets” auction here on May 1, Christie’s experts recently shared insights with Arab News about the rare lots going under the hammer. 

Sara Plumbly, director and head of the Islamic and Indian art department, highlighted an illuminated Kufic Qur’an folio, likely from Damascus, Umayyad Syria, dated to the 8th or 9th century.

“This Surah Al-Baqarah … is very early on in the Qur’an (chapter two titled ‘The Cow’), and you have this wonderful illuminated border. While you often see a line or two thick — here you have this hugely complicated border with beautiful colors.”

Although several illuminated Kufic manuscripts were produced, there were few survivors and generally fragmentary, since their placement at the front of a manuscript meant that they were more exposed to wear and tear, according to Christie’s website.

An illuminated Kufic Qur’an folio, likely from Damascus. (Supplied)

A collection of 11th century Fatimid gold jewelry caught the eye, to which Plumbly commented: “Jewellery of this type very rarely comes on the market.

“I think one of the reasons is that they are made of gold which is quite fragile and malleable and also, because it is such a precious material, gold is often melted down and used for other objects through the course of history, so it doesn’t survive in great quantities.”

A collection of 11th century Fatimid gold jewelry caught the eye. (Supplied)

At the pre-sale press exhibition in London, there was also a striking Iznik pottery dish from Ottoman Turkiye, circa 1585-1590. This was complete with bole red, cobalt blue, green and black accents, as well as saz leaves and pomegranates against a background of dense black scrolls.

A striking Iznik pottery dish from Ottoman Turkiye, circa 1585-1590. (Supplied)

Louise Broadhurst, director and international head of the department of rugs and carpets, pointed to The Hans Konig Collection of Classical Chinese Carpets.

There was a magnificent Imperial Ming “Qi” Dragon Palace carpet dating from the Wanli period, circa 1575-1600.

“It is one of just seven complete Dragon carpets that remain outside of China,” she explained.

“It  would have originally been red in color, woven with a Brazilwood dye which at the time emulated the red that was the Imperial color of the emperor but sadly with time it faded quite rapidly to this sandy yellow color that we see today.

“It displays the ‘Qi’ dragon —a juvenile dragon in a naturalistic life form with cloud-like body, symbolic of an energetic life force. It’s married with the peony which is another symbol for beauty. It would imbue all of the powers that the emperor wanted.”

The live auction is at Christie’s London headquarters with 129 lots set to go under the hammer.