The Empire of the Dragon

Dragon is a legendary animal, ranked top of the four sacred spirits (dragon – unicorn – turtle – phoenix). In the East, dragon also is a symbol of the strong proliferation and the spring. 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.

For those reasons, the dragon image under the Nguyen Dynasty is very diverse and abundant.

Only in Hue, the largest center of culture, politics and art of the time, that richness was manifested in many ways: space, material, artistic expression and decoration.

In architecture, dragons were present on temples, palaces, fanes and pagodas in and outside the royal palace of Hue. Dragons appeared on the top of the roof, gables, gutters, screens, steps, rafters, door frames... of architectural works.

Cloud-dragon decoration on pillars in the palace.

Nine Dynastic Urns, throne, throne’s parasol, and the worship place of Nguyen kings were decorated with dragons.

Also, the legendary animal were also used to decorate the knob of seals and king’s stationary...

The dragon of the Nguyen Dynasty could be cast in bronze, carved from stone, sculpted from wood, bone, ivory and all kinds of precious stones. Dragon was embroidered on fabric, silk in costume, crown cap of the kings, mandarins and concubines.

In general, the dragon of Nguyen art has inherited and developed from previous Vietnamese dragon generations. However, there are similarities with the Chinese dragon of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) because the Nguyen culture was influenced by Chinese culture. Dragon of the Nguyen Dynasty, through the hands of Vietnamese artisans, deserves to be an integral part of Vietnamese and Vietnamese art.