60 years of brilliant Hue enamel
According to Hue cultural researchers, Hue enamel art was born in 1827, during the Nguyen Dynasty and flourished through the dynasties of King Minh Mang (1820 - 1841), King Thieu Tri (1841 - 1847) and King Tu Duc (1848 - 1883). Enamel is a product made of multi-colored enameled copper, not only beautiful in appearance but also durable in terms of mechanics, chemistry, and physics, with high resistance to impact, or corrosion from the environment and climate...
After the "four-month-three-king" period (*), Phap Lam gradually declined and completely disappeared during the Dong Khanh period (1885-1889).
Although it only existed for 60 years, “Hue enamel painting is considered the first direction of Vietnamese painting” and has created a special mark through household items, interior decoration, and self-made objects. Enamel painting was favored by mandarins and nobles at that time, used to decorate the exterior of royal architectural works.
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| Hue enamel decoration in front of Minh Mang King's tomb |
Reviving Hue's French enamel after 200 years of loss
After about 200 years of existence, many decorative items of French enamel on Hue royal architectural works are gradually being damaged and degraded. Not wanting the imprints of Hue French enamel to completely disappear from Vietnam, many research groups and individuals have made great efforts to research and restore this industry to serve the restoration and embellishment of relics as well as to preserve the ancient profession.
Especially after December 11, 1993, the Complex of Hue Monuments was officially listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the restoration of French enamel has received more attention from the state and academics.
The first was Dr. Nguyen Nhan Duc, a pharmacist. His chance to come to Phap Lam was thanks to his visits to China: “When I went to China and visited many palaces, I never saw Phap Lam decorating the exterior. Meanwhile, in Hue, Phap Lam exteriors are very popular. So I plunged into research.”
During the process of researching this technique, with the advice of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, he completed the restoration and decoration of the flat enamel panels, enamel reliefs, enamel blocks at Thien Mu Pagoda, two ceremonial gates at Trung Dao Bridge, two miscellaneous gates in the backyard of Thai Hoa Palace,... making an important mark on the journey of reviving Hue enamel.
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| Completion of restoration of the French enamel on the ceremonial gate at Trung Dao Bridge, Hue Imperial Citadel - the result of Dr. Nguyen Nhan Duc and colleagues. |
Sharing the same concerns, Master Do Huu Triet, Director of Thai Hung Company Limited (Hue) has also successfully restored many items of French enamel on important royal relics in Hue. One of the projects that bears a strong mark of the return of Hue's French enamel is a pair of French enamel lamps with a cost of about 2.5 billion VND, currently located in Tu Tuong Park next to the Huong River, made by 100 workers of Thai Hung French enamel Company.
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| Master Do Huu Triet restored and reconstructed two French Lam lamps with a budget of about 2.5 billion VND and donated them to Hue city to be placed at Tu Tuong park. |
Coming to the production and display facility of Hue enamel by Master Do Huu Triet at 66 Chi Lang, Hue City, our group of students from the International Media Academy - Academy of Journalism and Propaganda admired more than 100 Hue enamel works on display, including souvenirs and products used in architecture and construction. Here, Mr. Triet passionately shared: I always believe that Hue enamel will definitely revive. The younger generation will have the opportunity to be "enchanted" by the beauty imbued with history and the rich national identity of enamel like Hue enamel artisans.
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| Souvenirs using Hue's French enamel technology are displayed at Thai Hung Company Limited (66 Chi Lang, Hue City). |
The next valuable stop on the flow of restoring Hue's enamel is the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum. This place preserves and displays nearly 100 antiques related to enamel from the Nguyen Dynasty, including household items, sacrificial objects and souvenirs used in the royal palace.
Sharing with our group of students, Mr. Nguyen The Son, Deputy Director of the Museum emphasized: “All excavated artifacts related to French enamel will be brought back to the museum for cleaning, restoration and display. Therefore, the number of 100 artifacts is a relative number and will continue to increase. The museum has a separate research team specializing in the restoration and conservation of French enamel in the architecture of palaces and mausoleums, because French enamel has been one of the city's key restoration industries for decades.”
Not only displayed at museums in Vietnam, Hue enamel wares are also present in several major museums in Europe such as the Berlin Ethnographic Museum (Germany), the Munich Ethnographic Museum (Germany), the Rennes Fine Arts Museum (France),... and also in the collections of several antique collectors in the world. This is a great pride, urging Vietnamese artisans and researchers to urgently and further promote the research and preservation of this national craft.
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| Laminated antiquities used in royal ceremonies are displayed at the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum for visitors to see. |
Mr. Nguyen The Son emphasized: “Phap Lam will only truly return to its golden age when it serves the needs of use and enjoyment of everyone; and this requires the cooperation and consensus of an entire generation working to restore and preserve Hue Phap Lam art. The State creates conditions for preservation, artisans, and groups to deeply research and restore Hue Phap Lam products; and the youth, media, and press carry out propaganda and promotion work so that not only the people of Hue, but all Vietnamese people know, are proud of, and have the opportunity to recognize and experience this unique Phap Lam industry.”
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| Deputy Director of Hue Royal Antiquities Museum Nguyen The Son shared with a group of students from the Academy of Journalism about his desire to preserve and develop Hue's enamel. |
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(*) This was the darkest period in the history of the Nguyen Dynasty. After King Duc Duc was deposed, within just 4 months, two powerful ministers Ton That Thuyet and Nguyen Van Tuong established and then deposed two more people, King Hiep Hoa and King Kien Phuc.
Photo source: Taken by a group of students from the Faculty of International Communication, Academy of Journalism and Communication, who are also the authors of the article.
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