DESIGNS & THEORIES OF DYNASTIC DRAGONS
The dragon is the most widely used and associated symbol in the history of Vietnamese Art. It is indeed from the prehistoric time that identified the Vietnamese as descendant of dragons and fairies (con rong chau tien). From the ancient time of Dong Son civilization to modern days of Nguyen dynasty, the dragon motif can be found in numerous sculptures and painting, royal palaces, religious and funerary architecture. The dragon symbol is not unchanging in history, however this motif had evolved through many shapes and forms, each appearance reflected the culture of the era and the belief of the populace and society at the time.
Dong Son Period (400 BC to 200 AD)
The "Giao Long" dragon, a reptile version of the dragon, was found carved on many weapon hatches and bronze urns (Dao Thinh-Yen Bai).
Dai La Period (8th-10th century)
Viet Nam was under Chinese colonization from the 1st through the 10th century, which left profound influence on Vietnamese Arts. As resulted, the Dai La dragon had many resemblance to its Chinese creature as displayed on decorative tiles found at Co Loa.
Ly Dynasty (10th-11th century)
The Ly dynasty marked the first era of independent Viet Nam from the Chinese colonization. During the Ly's reign, Vietnamese Art was allowed to flourish to its peak. The Ly's dragon had a distinctive appearance of the water serpent, a symbolic representation of the God of Rain and Water of the time. Unique features of the Ly's dragon that distinguished from the Chinese mythical creature are: thin and long, undulated body of a serpent, small head with long whisker and mane and fine legs with small claws. An exemplary Ly's dragon can be found on carved stone at the Chuong Son tower (Nam Ha province).
Tran Dynasty (13th-14th century)
The Ly's dragon carried many of its traits to the Tran's symbol such as long and small body and head. The dragon design carved on the front doors of Pho Minh temple (Nam Dinh) show the Ly's Art was still very influential several hundred years later.
Later Le Dynasty (16th-17th century)
The Chinese cultural influence reached its height as the Later Le kings adopted Confucianism, Budhism and Taoim as national religions. The dragon of the Later Le was considered as the symbolic representation of the emperor and his authorative power after the Chinese model. The dragon design was used extensively as decorative in many royal tombs and religious temples. The Later Le's dragon had same appearance and shared many traits of the Chinese symbol such as its menacing look, large body and head, thick scales, big and muscular leg with long and sharp claws and thick mane runs along body from head to tail.

Nguyen Dynasty (18th-20th century)
The dragon symbol during the Nguyen dynasty is one of "Tu Linh", the four mythical Chinese creatures of dragon, lion, tortoise, and phoenix. These mythical creatures appeared in numerous paintings, sculptures and art objects as well as in architecture decorative of the royal palaces and tombs in Hue.

Minh Bui

 

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Nn vn ha dân gian , v sau dn d b tng lp phong kin thng tr trong nc c ch, cn mnh hn l do bn thng tr ngoi xâm thi trc. Nhng vt tch cui cng ca con rng i L cho n giai on sau i vua Lê Thnh Tông mi hon ton mt hn cong rng i Lê.