The Museum of Ceramics in the style of the Nguyen Dynasty is known as the first private museum in Thua Thien Hue. It was established by Decision No. 1103/QĐ –UBND of the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue Province on June 20, 2013, and officially opened to visitors during the Traditional Craft Festival in Hue in April 2013. The current exhibition space of the museum was formerly the ancestral home of Mr. Dong, a high-ranking official in the Nguyen Dynasty.
In 2012, with the support of the People's Committee of the Province and various relevant agencies, the researcher and collector Tran Dinh Son (the third-generation descendant of Mr. Tran Dinh Ba) invested in the restoration of the ancient house (street-facing) to transform it into a museum located at 114 Mai Thuc Loan Street, Hue City.
The exhibition "Precious Gems from Famous Mountains" has showcased nearly 70 artifacts, including jade amulets, inkstones, incense burners, bowls, plates, boxes, jars, seals, vases, pen holders, hairpin ornaments, hair bun ornaments with hairpins, statues of Quan Yin, Phuc Than (the God of Wealth), a sage holding a staff, dragon statues, and various other exquisite sculptures. These artworks are crafted from a diverse and sophisticated range of materials such as green jade, white jade, green and white jade, and Tho Son stone. All of these antique items are curated and owned by the researcher and collector Tran Dinh Son.
The exhibition has attracted a large number of researchers, antique collectors, scholars, and local residents who are interested in visiting.
The finely crafted jade artifacts have captured the attention of visitors due to their exquisite workmanship.
Researcher Tran Dinh Son explains that in the Eastern culture, jade symbolizes wealth and power. Beyond its rarity in material and beauty, jade is revered for its positive values and meanings, including eternity, mysticism, and blessings. He has inherited some of these artifacts from the family collection, while others he has personally gathered over the past few decades. Many of these items were crafted during the Nguyen dynasty, the rule of the Nguyen lords, and the late Le dynasty, serving various purposes such as royal ceremonies, rewards for royal descendants or high-ranking officials, and jewelry for the king and his consorts.
"Through this exhibition, I hope the public, tourists, and especially the young people in Hue, can witness these precious artifacts of our nation firsthand. Especially, to understand and appreciate the true value of jade," adds Tran Dinh Son.
The exhibition runs from November 21 to December 6, 2023. Below are some artifacts and images by Hue Discovery at the opening event:
