Rafter finial in the shape of a dragon’s head and wind chime
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 (see, for example, the photograph to the right of a wood model pagoda from the Goryeo dynasty).
The beast’s bulging eyes, flaring nostrils, and elaborate scales convey the fierceness and invincibility of this auspicious creature. The bell, which functioned as a wind chime, once had a metal-plate clapper inside and would have been suspended by a hook from the loop at the mouth of the dragon. 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. The only other comparable example to this pair is in the collection of Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.