On January 2, the Department of Culture and Sports of Hai Phong said that the set of Nghe Temple artifacts, dating from the early 20th century, currently kept at the Hai Phong Museum, is one of 33 artifacts, a group of artifacts recognized by the Prime Minister as a National Treasure in the final phase in 2024.
According to the leader of the Hai Phong Department of Culture and Sports, the Nghe Temple's set of artifacts includes 16 artifacts including: golden betel leaves, golden areca nuts, golden cards, plain gold leaves, golden fans, golden earrings, golden bracelets, golden beads, golden lip balm boxes and golden buttons. Among the 16 artifacts, many are intact, some are slightly damaged.
The set of Nghe Temple artifacts is made from gold metal, meticulously handcrafted - showing that the maker is a skilled goldsmith, with high techniques, and meticulously selected materials.
According to Hai Phong Museum, the Nghe Temple metal artifacts were offered by the people to the Holy Mother Le Chan. Based on archival documents, research on the history of the formation and existence of the Nghe Temple and the characteristics of the artistic style and decorative arts on the artifacts, Hai Phong Museum determined that the Nghe Temple metal artifacts were crafted during the Nguyen Dynasty, early 20th century, with the following characteristics: Long-bodied winding dragon patterns, four-season patterns delicately carved on the body of the golden lip wax box, which are also popular images in Nguyen Dynasty fine arts...
The words: "Trang Huy Thuong Dang Than"; "Duc Bao Trung Hung" engraved on the artifact also appear in the royal decree and stone stele currently kept at Nghe Temple, showing the respect, gratitude and admiration of the local community for Holy Mother Le Chan.
The Nghe Temple metal artifacts were first introduced to the public in the Special Exhibition: "National Treasures - An Bien Collection" at Hai Phong Museum in May 2024, attracting the attention of the public and tourists from all over the world.
The Nghe Temple metal artifacts are original, unique, and of special value, never seen in other relics and museums in Vietnam.
The set of Nghe Temple metal products also contains many spiritual and cultural values, historical and cultural values, and is a typical representative of the style of creating jewelry and statues during the Nguyen Dynasty, demonstrating the pinnacle of development of ancient goldsmithing techniques.
In the minds of Hai Phong people, female general Le Chan has been honored as a Holy Mother. Nghe Temple is a sacred religious relic of Hai Phong City. Therefore, the set of goldsmiths of Nghe Temple represents the folk belief - the worship of Holy Mother Le Chan in Hai Phong and the pinnacle of goldsmithing art in the early 20th century.
