ticketsMember | Make a donation

Rafter finial in the shape of a dragon’s head and wind chime

10th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 233
This finial in the shape of a dragon’s head would originally have been attached to a corner rafter of a royal hall or a Buddhist temple building.The beast’s bulging eyes, flaring nostrils, and elaborate scales convey the fierceness and invincibility of this auspicious creature. The small holes at the sides of the neck were probably used to secure the heavy object to the roof. The bell, which functioned as a wind chime, once had a metal-plate clapper inside. The bell would have been suspended from the loop at the mouth of the dragon by a hook. The decorative panels on the lower halves of both faces of the bell feature a swastika (an ancient symbol associated with the Buddha) within a lotus-flower platform. A nearly identical set of a dragon’s head and wind chime, the only other comparable extant example, is in the collection of the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 금동 용머리 모양 처마 끝 장식과 작은 종 고려
  • 金銅 龍頭吐首風鐸 高麗
  • Title: Rafter finial in the shape of a dragon’s head and wind chime
  • Period: early Goryeo dynasty (918–1392)
  • Date: 10th century
  • Culture: Korea
  • Medium: Gilt bronze
  • Dimensions: Finial: 11 3/4 in. × 9 in. × 15 1/2 in. (29.8 × 22.9 × 39.4 cm)
    Chime: 15 1/4 × 7 1/4 in. (38.7 × 18.4 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Purchase, The Vincent Astor Foundation Gift, 1999 Benefit Fund, and The Rosenkranz Foundation Inc. Gift, 1999
  • Object Number: 1999.263a, b
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Pensive bodhisattva, Gilt bronze, Korea
Pensive bodhisattva
Korea
mid-7th century
Standing Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion, Gilt bronze, Vietnam
Standing Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion
Vietnam
ca. 7th century
Buddha Maitreya (Mile) Altarpiece, Gilt bronze, China
Buddha Maitreya (Mile) Altarpiece
China
dated 524 (5th year of Zhengguang reign)
Standing Buddha, Bronze with traces of gilt, Thailand (Nakhon Pathom Province)
Standing Buddha
Thailand (Nakhon Pathom Province)
8th–9th century
Vishnu Flanked by His Personified Attributes, Bronze, India (Bihar)
Vishnu Flanked by His Personified Attributes
India (Bihar)
early 9th century

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Rafter finial in the shape of a dragon’s head and wind chime - Korea - early Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) - The Metropolitan Museum of Art