Viet Nam News
HUE — More than 60 precious artifacts of the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945) handed over to the interim government after the abdication of King Bao Dai in August 1945 are on display at the Hue Royal Antiques Museum.
The artifacts, made of gold, silver, gemstones and tortoise shells, are part of a collection of 2,500 items preserved by the Viet Nam National History Museum.
The most valuable and important items include royal seals made of pure gold, jade seals, swords, the king’s headwear and mandarin badges.
The exhibition also displays objects used in royal worship and rituals, like candle holders, fruit trays, and aloe wood burner.
Other items used in royal office, including brushes, inkstone, paperweights and pen holders also are on display.
Visitors to the exhibition can also get glimpses of daily life in the court through other items like diner and tea sets, and betel nut sets.
Phan Thanh Hai, director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, said the exhibition is being held under a co-operation programme between the centre and the National Museum of History.
The programme, which began last year, has organised two other exhibitions – Antique Jewelry of Viet Nam and The Royal Seals and Books of the Nguyen Dynasty.
“However, this ongoing exhibition displays the biggest number of items, including some seals that were rarely seen even by royal mandarins. These seals are the ones that were handed down from emperor to emperor, representing the supreme power and orthodoxy of the dynasty,” Hai said.
After King Bao Dai abdicated on August 25, 1945, the Nguyen dynasty handed over to the then temporary Government of Viet Nam some 2,500 items which were brought to Ha Noi for preservation as the nation waged its resistance war against the return of the French colonialists.
In 2007, the State Bank of Viet Nam handed over all the items, including 85 golden and jade seals, to the Viet Nam National Museum of History.
The exhibition will be open to public until January 5, 2017, at 3 Le Truc Street.
Alongside the exhibition, the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre has also released a photo-book Bao Vat Hoang Cung (Royal Treasure), and The Museum of Hue Royal Antiques – Volume 8: Wooden Objects. – VNS