InventorSpot

When it comes to chasing evil spirits away from your home, there's nothing like a gargoyle. People think of gargoyles and dragons going with Medieval or Gothic design, but a gargoyle doesn't need to match anything else in your home, not in color or design. A gargoyle just has a place, in its own right, because it has a job to do; it's your security system.

Gary Chang, a well-known Taiwanese sculptor, is a master of dragon and gargoyle art, and doesn't just know his craft, but considerable history of the civilizations that created these protective beasts. Chang mixes pagan and religious, eastern and western mythologies, into his intricate carvings of dragon and gargoyle furniture and lighting designs. The following are just a few of the many functional sculptures, Mr. Chang has licensed to design Toscano for reproduction and sale.

1. Merciless, the Gargoyle Lighted Wall Sculpture

Merciless is Mr. Chang's latest work, available August 1, 2008 from design Toscano. May I suggest hanging it on your front door if you like to be left alone. It would certainly keep the trick-or-treaters away on Halloween.

2. Gothic Dragon (CD) Tower Of Tunes

Dragons also protect us and our valuables from evil, and there is no one more evil than a CD thief. The Dragon Tower, sculptured menacingly on all sides, protects 64 CD's.

3. Celtic Dragon Throne

A signature piece, the 87 pound Celtic Dragon Throne is a masterpiece, featuring sculpted dragon heads on the arms, front and back, and the legs supported by the 3-toed feet of the dragon. I would not like to sit opposite this throne.

4. Nightfall Sculptural Gargoyle Chandelier

How about this hanging over your dining room table as you toast to the birthday boy or the New Year? The Nightfall Gargoyle watches every sip, every bite you take!

5. Bless This Home Dragon

I thought I would sneak the Bless This Home plaque in here, just to show you that even dragons have a sense of humor.

6. Dark Shadows Gargoyle Lamp

As in all of Chang's sculpted works, this eerie lamp is sculpted 360 degrees around in the intricate, delicate, exact Chang style. The Dark Shadows Gargoyle Lamp is said to cast a "macabre glow from behind the menacing creature's bat-like wings...."

7. Ranier, The Dragon Rainspout

Now, don't laugh. Gargoyles and other protective figures, such as dragons or lions, have been a significant part of drain-spouts since houses were first built and rain came down on them. They were at the end of the spouts "helping" to drain the rain off the roofs, another of their protective functions. Now you can have a Dragon Rainspout of your own.

8. Hastings The Warrior Dragon Table

Now, here's a friendly fellow, doing his part to "provide service with a snarl." The Warrior Dragon comes with a 3/8" glass top to protect Hastings from your spills.

9. Gargoyle of Eastmore Cathedral Lamp

What a lamp base! Chang designs his own architecturally Gothic cathedral and the gargoyles to go with it. Two feet high, the Gargoyle of Eastmore Cathedral is a finely detailed work of art, like all of Chang's work.

10. Dragon Perch Footstool

There is so much artistry in Gary Chang's work that it's hard to believe the pieces from design Tuscano are so affordable. Here is another great example of Chang's artistry and obsession with detail. Even the top of the footstool is detailed with Celtic knots!