The group of authors participating in the exhibition includes: painter, Associate Professor, Dr. Trang Thanh Hien, painters Tran My Anh, Vu Phuong Anh, Nguyen Thu Nga, Tran Quoc Duc, Nguyen Xuan Huy, Tran Nhat Nhi. 81 woodcut paintings inspired by the model of 162 bronze casts on the Nine Tripod Cauldrons will be introduced in the exhibition "Echoes - from the Nine Tripod Cauldrons of the Nguyen Dynasty to contemporary creations".
The Nine Tripod Cauldrons are one of the special cultural heritages of the Nguyen Dynasty, and in 2012, the Prime Minister signed a decision to classify them as a National Treasure. These are nine bronze cauldrons cast by King Minh Mang in 1835 to symbolize the everlasting strength of the dynasty and the prosperity of the Dai Nam nation.
The most special and unique thing is the symbolic images carved on the Nine Tripod Cauldrons. Each cauldron is completely embossed with 17 images, including celestial phenomena, mascots, territorial waters, mountains and rivers, animals, insects, herbs, architecture, carriages, boats, weapons and two Chinese characters bearing the name of the cauldron.
All of these bronze carvings seem to have generalized into an “encyclopedia” about a rich and prosperous Dai Nam nation under the reign of Minh Mang. In May 2024, the reliefs on the Nine Tripod Cauldrons of the Nguyen Dynasty were officially recognized by UNESCO as a Documentary Heritage of the Asia-Pacific region.
The Nine Tripod Cauldrons are considered a symbol of the power of the Nguyen Dynasty and the pinnacle of Dai Nam culture. After being completed in January of the year Dinh Dau (1837), these nine cauldrons have been placed at The Mieu Temple since then.
Since 2022, with the desire to honor and promote the artistic heritage values of our ancestors, a group of painters and students from the Vietnam University of Fine Arts in Hanoi have researched and developed a project to create a set of woodcut paintings about Vietnam on the Nine Tripod Cauldrons.
These woodcuts are not simply adaptations of the bronze works on the Nine Tripod Cauldrons, but also aim to explore new forms of expression in the perspective of “aesthetic dialogue” between the old and the new, between the past and the present. This form is based on the language of folk woodcut art, combined with the language of modern woodcut art to create a different vibe in each woodcut.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Trang Thanh Hien - Project Manager shared: “It can be said that this exhibition does not stop at transforming the model of bronze engravings into new works on new materials, but the project also aims at developing creativity, creating a new approach with strong contemporary values.
Instead of considering the Nine Tripod Cauldrons as a cultural heritage associated with a bygone era, through the art of wood carving, ceramic art and embroidery art, the project implementers wish to “market” the Nine Tripod Cauldrons in new forms, to promote a special heritage of Vietnamese cultural history.”
