Preserving porcelain mosaics in Hue Citadel

by PV/VTV19 October 2015 Last updated at 08:02 AM

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(Photo by Vietnamonline)

VTV.vn - Porcelain Mosaic was a popular form of art in Hue palaces in the 19th century. As time passes, the number of porcelain mosaic artisans has decreased.

The Hue Citadel area has about 400 monuments that are degrading and in need of repair. Among these is Trieu To Mieu – one of the Nguyen Dynasty’s five most important temples. One of the most painstaking tasks in the project is the restoration of the porcelain decorations.

"The first difficult thing is that the number of people with knowledge and skills is getting smaller and smaller. Secondly, due to ineffective policies regarding compensation for these craftsmen, we are not able to attract skilled craftsmen", Phan Thanh Hai, Director of Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, said.

With ancient monuments like Trieu To Mieu, not only does the craftsman require skill, he also needs historical and architectural knowledge in determining the age of the porcelain.

"The dragon in the middle of the Hue palace is yellow while the ones on the sides are blue. This is the special thing we need to take into consideration. In the past, the craftsmen have made this very detailed. Now we have to follow the techniques of previous generations to maintain the intrinsic architectural value of the building", Tran Viet Xao, Porcelain Artisan, said.

Porcelain Art Mosaics can be seen in almost all of the architecture of the Nguyen Dynasty. This means a very large amount of old porcelain needs to be restored. The people working on these monuments are facing many challenges in finding old porcelain suitable for restoration.

According to Cultural Researcher Ho Tan Phan, only about 60% of the porcelain recovered from the Huong river is suitable for restoring the porcelain art mosaics in the ancient structures. However, the supply for these porcelain pieces is dying out.

Currently, many ancient buildings that are decorated in the porcelain art are degrading, such as the Nguyen tombs, and the Voi Ré and Hòn Chén Temple. There are more than 20 international organisations cooperating with the Hue Monument Conservation Centre in the restoration of artifacts, scientific research, and the conservation of intangible heritage.