Restoration of national treasure "Nguyen Dynasty Throne"

On August 11, the People's Committee of Hue City issued Plan No. 335/KH-UBND on the restoration of the national treasure "Nguyen Dynasty Throne."

The goal of the plan is to restore the artifact to its original condition, preserving its original properties, shape, color and characteristics, while ensuring historical accuracy and honesty.

After the incident of the violation of the national treasure “Nguyen Dynasty Throne” occurred on May 24, 2025, part of the left armrest of the throne was broken and smashed into 14 pieces; the rest of the treasure remained intact.

The restoration of the "Nguyen Dynasty Throne" to preserve the integrity of an artifact recognized as a national treasure is an urgent task of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center and the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum at present.

The expected restoration process includes the following steps: Preparing the restoration site; moving the artifact from the storage warehouse, collecting 14 fragments to the restoration site; scientifically cleaning the artifact and fragments; repositioning the fragments into a block; repositioning the complete artifact; stabilizing the lacquer and gilding layers; restoring the lacquer and gilding layers; applying a thin, transparent protective layer that can be removed when needed without affecting the artifact; preventing mold and dirt; organizing acceptance.

Activities to contribute to long-term preservation and promotion of the value of national treasures.

After restoration, the national treasure “Nguyen Dynasty Throne” will be re-displayed at its original location in Thai Hoa Palace; the preservation plan for the treasure will be implemented according to national standards to ensure the durability and long-term value of the artifact.

The artifact “Nguyen Dynasty Throne” has two main parts including the throne and the throne base; in which, the throne is made of wood, painted red and gilded.

The throne body has four pillars connecting the base to the back and armrests; the back of the throne is decorated with embossed motifs of "long ham tho."

The armrests are arched; the armrests are carved with a parasol motif of “leaves turning into bats.” The two ends of the armrests are embossed with dragon heads in a forward-reaching position.

Rectangular throne base, size 87x72cm. The part connecting the throne base and legs is divided into decorative panels in alternating squares and rectangles, inside is lined with glass, surrounded by carved patterns; the 4 throne legs are designed in a kneeling style.

The throne and throne base are placed on a 3-tiered wooden platform painted with gold leaf, embossed with the theme of "dragons and clouds" with different motifs: The upper tiers are embossed with the theme of "two dragons facing the sun", the 2nd and 3rd tiers are embossed with the image of 2 dragons facing each other, holding the word "Tho", the corners are carved with the image of a dragon horse carrying a bagua and a book box.

All decorative panels are gilded, the left and right sides of the bottom floor have 2 pins and 2 iron rings as handles when moving the throne.

The condition of the “Nguyen Dynasty Throne” at the time of the national treasure dossier construction in 2015 was that most of the gilded surface was peeling. The right armrest was broken and had been temporarily reinforced with steel wire; the left armrest was cracked and the gilded surface was peeling.

The tenon joints of the throne surface are cracked and split. The decorative glass panels below the throne base are damaged. Some decorative details on the back of the throne are no longer intact, and there is wood rot on the throne surface.

During the preservation and restoration process, the "Nguyen Dynasty Throne" was displayed and preserved in the middle room of Thai Hoa Palace - Hue Imperial City, which is the original location of this artifact.

In 2017, the Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities carried out minor repairs to the “Nguyen Dynasty Throne” by removing the steel and nails fixing the broken armrests, reinforcing them by using bamboo wedges to connect the broken parts, bonding them with glue, repairing cracks and chips, and restoring small lost decorative details on the border under the right armrest./.

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/phuc-che-bao-vat-quoc-gia-ngai-vua-trieu-nguyen-post1055030.vnp