This expertly cast, lavishly gilt bronze finial in the shape of a dragon's head and the accompanying bell are among the finest pieces of metalwork of the late Unified Silla and early Koryo dynasties, when Korean art had digested Chinese influence and developed a mature native style characterized by refinement and sumptuousness. The imposing dragon's head originally graced one of the corner rafters of a Buddhist temple or a royal hall. The bell, which functioned as a wind chime, would have been suspended from the iron loop at the dragon's mouth by an S-shaped iron hook, which is corroded but intact.

An auspicious symbol as well as a decorative motif, the dragon is one of the most popular images in Korean art and culture. It is viewed as a guardian figure that protects humans and wards off evil spirits. The dramatic features of this example—large staring eyes, flaring nostrils, wide-open mouth with protruding sharp fangs, and brawny single horn—convey a fierceness and invincibility in keeping with such apotropaic functions. The theme of protectiveness is echoed in the decoration on the bell, which features a svastika, a Buddhist symbol of safety and peace.