Nguyen Huu Hoang, a resident of the former imperial capital city of Hue, is an antiques collector. But what makes his collection different from most is that he specializes in collecting a rare kind of porcelain: Nguyen Dynasty’s Custom-made pattern porcelains.
Nguyen Dynasty’s Custom-made pattern porcelains, also known amongst historians and collectors as: “Blues de Hue” (Hue’s blue-enamel porcelains), were special limited edition pieces designed for the royal court, ordered and finished overseas to exacting specifications. They were usually made in small numbers, sometimes as a lone piece.
According to “Custom-made pattern porcelains in Nguyen Dynasty” a book by historian Tran Duc Anh Son, these pieces were made from the 16th century to the early 20th century, mostly by pottery kilns in China. The collections were brought back by Vietnam’s emissaries after visiting the neighbor to the north.
The bowls and dishes were intricately decorated, mostly with dragons and phoenixes, or the Hue landscape. On each item would rest a poem in ancient Vietnamese. Most were used in ceremonial fashion for banquets at the imperial palace.
Nguyen Dynasty was the last ruling family of Vietnam, lording over the country from 1802 to 1945.
Hoang’s collection boasts at least 40 pieces from this era, which, according to him, were made from 1800 to 1945. Although they were used only in Hue, they filtered outwards and he has picked up items from throughout the country.
“I was surprised to see that there are a lot of valuable antiques in Hoang’s collection,” said Tran Duc Anh Son, Director of Hue’s Museum of Royal Fine Arts, writer of the “Custom-made pattern porcelains in Nguyen Dynasty” book.
“The Nguyen Dynasty’s Custom-made pattern porcelains are now very rare. Even the national museums have very little of them.”
“Even Hue Imperial Museum, the national museum that has the most antiques from the Nguyen Dynasty era does not have any of these custom-made pieces,” said Son.
For the good of his hometown
Hoang is a furniture maker by trade; but he began to collect antiques 15 years ago.
Being a collector, Hoang has traveled to many parts of the country and developed relationships with a number of collectors and historians, which has helped him along the way.
When he started to collect antiques, Hoang had ample chances to buy Nguyen Dynasty porcelains.
He pointed to seven years ago when he purchased a porcelain bowl categorized as a Nguyen Dynasty porcelain from a family’s ancestral temple for VND2.5 million ($140).
After a few days, there was an offer to buy the bowl for VND20 million ($1,120). Then after some days of ruminating, Hoang made a decision, which he says he has regretted ever since.
“That event became my obsession,” said Hoang. “It was very beautiful and way too precious to be sold.”
It is the kind of obsession found in a man that puts beauty ahead of possessions.
“Antique-collecting is a game of chances,” he said. “You may have a full pocket of money, but without a good opportunity you are not going to get anything.”
“Last month I received a phone call from a friend in Binh Dinh. He said there was a collector wanting to sell a bowl from the Nguyen Dynasty.”
“I borrowed VND30 million ($1,680) and went to Binh Dinh as soon as possible. When I bought it and came back home, almost immediately another friend called form HCMC said there was another bowl up for sale at $2,000. Once again, I borrowed the money and bought the item.”
Hoang learnt the ability to assess antiques through his experiences. He is not a student of history or archaeology, but a keen observer of art.
“My journey into the world of antiques has not ended yet. Many people have asked to buy my entire collections at higher prices than what I paid for them, but I refused,” Hoang said.
“I want to help preserve the antiques of my hometown,” he said. “A lot of them were scattered around the country. I want to bring them back to where they belong.”
Source: vietnewsonline.vn
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