Dragon-decorated urn's straps

Here is top part of a dynastic urn reserved for the royals. During imperial time, dragon represented potent and auspicious powers, is closely associated with the emperors. The shaping of dragon is the most successful expression of Nguyen Dynasty’s art. The artisans of that time created the image of the dragon not only to obey the artistic purpose, but also to comply with social institutions and then contemporary cultural institutions.