BAT TRANG CERAMICS
Vietnamese ceramic craft has a long history dating back thousands of year.
Archeological findings at Vinh Phu province indicates pottery turning
wheels existed in Viet Nam about 5,000 years ago. During the Ly's (11-13th
century), the Tran's (13-15th century), the Le's (15-16th century) and
the Mac's (16th century), Viet Nam produced large amount of ceramic wares
for its domestic consumption and trade to many East and South East Asian
countries and as far as to the Middle East. Of the many ceramic-producing
villages in Viet Nam, Bat Trang village was the most famous.
Bat Trang Ceramics through History
Bat Trang is generally referred to a commune of two villages, Bat Trang
and Giang Cao, situated in the outskirts of Hanoi along the bank of Hong
(Red) river. According to Vietnamese annals, migrant potters from Thanh
Hoa province established Bat Trang village in the mid-14th century. Being
conveniently located near the capital city, and with readily access of
river transportation, Bat Trang soon became an important industrial and
commercial center. At the time, the area had numerous deposits of white
clay necessary for production of ceramic wares. These factors helped the
Bat Trang ceramic craft to flourish and its products were widely circulated
to other regions of the country.
In the late 15th century, Bat Trang had been well known for producing
the best quality ceramics in the country. Many of these ceramic pieces
were customized for aristocratic families and religious needs. These pieces
included inscription of the year of production, the name of the patron
and the potter's name. Vietnamese annals also recorded in the 16th century,
Bat Trang ceramics were offered as tribute to China in numerous occasions.
Following
terrestrial discoveries in Asia in the early 17th century, many European
countries rushed to the Far East to set up bases for commerce trading.
Vietnamese ceramic industry continued to prosper, especially during the
Mac's reign. Multiple shipments of ceramics were exported to Japan where
the Bat Trang style was enthusiastically adapted by local kilns as "Kochi
(Giao Chi) ware". Dutch, English and Portuguese merchants purchased Vietnamese
ceramics in the hundred of thousands to resell in Malaya, Sumatra and
Bangal.
From the end of 17th, particularly in the 18th century, Vietnamese ceramics
exported to South East Asian countries declined rapidly when the Chinese
resumed its ceramic exports. Bat Trang ceramics were no longer exported
and its products served mainly the domestic market.
Today, Bat Trang still turn out large quantity of ceramic wares for both
domestic and export markets. New designs and models as well as reproductions
of ancient styles and glazes are very well received by art connoisseurs
everywhere.
CHARACTERISTICS
OF BAT TRANG CERAMIC WARES
The National Museum of Viet Nam History possesses a comprehensive collection
of Bat Trang ceramic wares, which date from the 14th to the 19th century.
The collection is divided in three groups of ware of different features
and styles:
Utilitarian ware (plates, bowls, teacups, kettles, wine bottles,
flowerpots and vases): This type of ware has a thicker and heavier body
compared to the Chinese ceramics. The utilitarian wares are mostly covered
with ivory, moss green or brown glaze. Common designs used on utilitarian
wares were sacred and ordinary animals such as dragon, phoenix, tortoise,
horse, tiger, bird, floral scroll, and landscape scenery.
Cult ware (lamp stands, candle holders, incense burner and altar
boxes): This type of Bat Trang ceramics were produced predominantly for
religious needs. Many of these pieces, especially the lamp stands, carried
intricate molding applied around the body. Bat Trang cult wares are well
known for their elaborate design and meticulous crafting.
Decorative objects (house models, altars, statues and architectural
fixtures): These objects usually carried very complex design of mythical
and religious theme. Bat Trang tiles and architectural fixtures are also
known to be used in the construction of the imperial court in Hue in the early 1800's.
Minh Bui
References: Gom Bat Trang The Ky 14-19th
VIETNAMESE FOLK ART (Ðong Ho Woodblock Printing)
Ð ng
H woodblock printing
has existed since the 1700's. For hundred of years, the village of Ð ng
H which is located
outside of Hanoi, produces the popular decorative paintings that are used
especially for the Têt (New Year) holidays and other celebrated
festivals throughout the year. The Ð ng
H painting is well
recognizable with its folk subject, its picture painted in bold outline
with warm and vibrant colors.
Woodblock printing has always been a familial craft passed on for generations
of artist in the Ð ng
H village. Each year
after the rice harvest, all members of the family pitch in the production
of the paintings for sale at the Têt. Adults and children, depending
on skills and capabilities, share the work from making the silk paper
to printing and coloring the paintings. The production of a painting starts
with a design pattern that is engraved on the woodblock. The first print
is made on silk paper using a paste of finely ground sea shell. Successive
presses are then made to add different colors to the picture. All colors
used in the Ðông Hô` painting are natural ingredients
such as charcoal for black color, ochre for red, yams for brown, and day
lilies for yellow.
The most common subjects of Ð ng
H painting are folk
themes depicting ordinary daily life or domestic animals that live around
the peasants such as rooster, hen and chicklets, pig and piglets. Other
favorite subjects are scenes from popular legends or historical tales
of national heroes and heroines of the past such as the Trung
sisters, Trieu Thi Trinh, young
king Ðinh Bo Linh playing battlefield
(c lau t p
tr n).
Tr ng
Nguy n Vinh
Quy B i T
Chu t mang
l (c )
 n
bi u m o
c ch
Mi u thu l
(M o nh u
l )
Chu t mang
bi u Kh m
M ng (v ng
l nh nh
vua)
Ba Tr ng i
ki u ph a
sau
1. H ng d a
2. L o Oa gi ng
 c
3. Tri u Th
Trinh
4. Tr em
5. G
Minh Bui
References: Ky Thuât & My Thuât Tranh Môc Ban Viêt Nam
DESIGNS & THEORIES OF DYNASTIC DRAGONS
The dragon
is the most widely used and associated symbol in the history of Vietnamese
Art. It is indeed from the prehistoric time that identified the Vietnamese
as descendant of dragons and fairies (con rong chau tien). From the ancient
time of Dong Son civilization to modern days of Nguyen dynasty, the dragon
motif can be found in numerous sculptures and painting, royal palaces, religious
and funerary architecture. The dragon symbol is not unchanging in history,
however this motif had evolved through many shapes and forms, each appearance
reflected the culture of the era and the belief of the populace and society
at the time.
Dong Son
Period (400 BC to 200 AD)
The "Giao Long" dragon, a reptile version of the dragon, was found carved
on many weapon hatches and bronze urns (Dao Thinh-Yen Bai).
Dai La
Period (8th-10th century)
Viet Nam was under Chinese colonization from the 1st through the 10th century,
which left profound influence on Vietnamese Arts. As resulted, the Dai La
dragon had many resemblance to its Chinese creature as displayed on decorative
tiles found at Co Loa.
Ly Dynasty (10th-11th century)
The Ly dynasty marked the first era of independent Viet Nam from the Chinese
colonization. During the Ly's reign, Vietnamese Art was allowed to flourish
to its peak. The Ly's dragon had a distinctive appearance of the water serpent,
a symbolic representation of the God of Rain and Water of the time. Unique
features of the Ly's dragon that distinguished from the Chinese mythical
creature are: thin and long, undulated body of a serpent, small head with
long whisker and mane and fine legs with small claws. An exemplary Ly's
dragon can be found on carved stone at the Chuong Son tower (Nam Ha province).
Tran Dynasty (13th-14th century)
The Ly's dragon carried many of its traits to the Tran's symbol such as
long and small body and head. The dragon design carved on the front doors
of Pho Minh temple (Nam Dinh) show the Ly's Art was still very influential
several hundred years later. Later Le
Dynasty (16th-17th century)
The Chinese cultural influence reached its height as the Later Le kings
adopted Confucianism, Budhism and Taoim as national religions. The dragon
of the Later Le was considered as the symbolic representation of the emperor
and his authorative power after the Chinese model. The dragon design was
used extensively as decorative in many royal tombs and religious temples.
The Later Le's dragon had same appearance and shared many traits of the
Chinese symbol such as its menacing look, large body and head, thick scales,
big and muscular leg with long and sharp claws and thick mane runs along
body from head to tail. Nguyen
Dynasty (18th-20th century)
The dragon symbol during the Nguyen dynasty is one of "Tu Linh", the four
mythical Chinese creatures of dragon, lion, tortoise, and phoenix. These
mythical creatures appeared in numerous paintings, sculptures and art
objects as well as in architecture decorative of the royal palaces and tombs in Hue.
Minh Bui
|