Dragon-themed artworks celebrate Lunar New Year 2024

Following the success of his collection of buffalo, tiger, and cat-themed sculptures, which were the respective zodiac signs for the years 2021, 2022, and 2023, Nguyen Tan Phat, a 41-year-old from the ancient village of Duong Lam in the outskirt town of Son Tay in Hanoi, introduced the public to his latest collection entitled ‘1,000 creations inspired from the Dragon and the Fairy’ to welcome 2024.

According to the artisan, the collection is inspired by a legend about the origin of the Vietnamese people. In the legend, the Vietnamese people are descendants of Lac Long Quan (a holy dragon) and Au Co (a fairy bird).

The collection features 1,000 distinctive items made from various materials such as wood, lacquer, ceramics, and metal.

Notably, 80% of the objects in the collection portray the image of the dragon under the Ly Dynasty (1010-1225) as Phat believes it represents a pure image of the Vietnamese dragon and fully embodies the characteristics of the Vietnamese people.

Meanwhile, the image of fairy was featured as young women with wings and gentle, innocent faces.

80% of the objects in the collection portray the image of the dragon under the Ly Dynasty (1010-1225).

In his works, the image of the fairy is arranged abundantly in the space above the dragon, symbolising the harmony between the dragon and the fairy.

Artist Nguyen Tan Phat spent almost two years creating the collection as it included many elaborate stages, requiring the skill and meticulousness of the artisan, from conception to shaping, inlaying Mother-of-pearl, inlaying copper, colour coating, and polishing.

Because each product of the collection was made completely manually, they took an average of 15-30 days to complete.

Phat shared that for a long time, the dragon has been considered a sacred animal that symbolises strength, power, and luck, and also ranks first among the four mythical creatures in Vietnamese culture or “Tu Linh”, called Long – Lan – Quy – Phuong (Dragon – Unicorn – Turtle – Phoenix). Therefore, the image of dragon is often seen at cultural, spiritual, and religious facilities.

With his collection, Phat wants to bring the dragon closer to Vietnamese people by blending the image of dragon into popular items in daily life, such as flower vases, trays, boxes, and lamps.

Works on Phat’s dragon collection is also diverse in size, with some products only as small as 10cm x 10cm, but there are also products larger than 1m, 2m.

The work he likes the most and took him the most time to finish is a 1,65m-high and 2m-wide chair crafted from lacquered ebony wood and adorned with 24k gold plating. It took Phat nearly two years to complete the sophisticated chair.

The dragon is incorporated with details such as leaf-shaped tails inspired by Buddhist symbolism, and strong and powerful five-clawed feet. Above the dragon is a space with abundant images of fairies.

Phat revealed that he used about 2,500 gold leaves, equivalent to 500g of 24k gold, to inlay the dragon chair.

"I got the idea to make the work from the legend ‘Lao Long Huan Tu’ (Father Dragon Teaches Son),” Phat said.

The legend is featured in a bas-relief on display in his hometown at Mong Phu Communal House in the ancient village of Duong Lam. The work portrays an old dragon holding a pen in one hand and a book in the other while teaching the baby dragon.

Meanwhile, the 'Vu Dieu Bach Long' (The Dance of a Hundred Dragons) collection the Hai Phong-based artist Pham Van Tuyen includes 100 dragon-inspired ceramic sculptures.

Artisan Pham Van Tuyen working on his work

Each sculpture in the collection is a unique creation, expressing the eminence yet mystique of the sacred animal in different shapes and postures.

The highlight of the collection is the Rong Hoa (Dragon Transformation), showcasing the dragon in different postures that represent the four seasons — spring, summer, autumn, and winter — and associated with four types of trees — pine, chrysanthemum, bamboo and apricot.

These artworks are integrated into functional objects such as flower vases, lamp stands, and incense burners.

According to Meritorious Artist Pham Van Tuyen, it took him more than two months of hard work to complete the collection.

The collection conveys the artists’ wish for peace, prosperity, and blessings for the country in Lunar New Year 2024.

The two dragon-themed collections by Nguyen Tan Phat and Pham Van Tuyen have shown the talent and creativity of Vietnamese artisans, as well as their national pride and enthusiasm for national history, art, and culture.