The leader of the National Museum of History said that this collection of collector Dao Danh Duc has been contacted and researched by the museum since 2013. Since then, museum staff have compared it with documents and artifacts kept at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History and the collection of Nguyen Dynasty Royal Treasures kept at the National Museum of History.
The museum has also established a Research and Appraisal Team, and invited experts with experience in researching and appraising antiques, such as: Associate Professor, Dr. Ngo Van Doanh - a leading expert in the field of Champa art and culture research; Dr. Pham Quoc Quan, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Chien. These are all leading experts in the field of antique appraisal.
“During the appraisal process, experts as well as the museum's research and appraisal team all found that the artifacts in Dao Danh Duc's collection all had a patina that had faded due to the erosion of time, along with natural signs of chipping, dents, holes, and tears, clearly showing the authenticity of the artifacts,” Mr. Nguyen Van Doan affirmed.
Experts are also very interested in the crafting techniques, the signs clearly show that these artifacts were all crafted using techniques of hammering, inlaying, stamping, carving and welding by hand with plant resin.
The decorative motifs are thick, small but not too fussy, very sophisticated, reflecting the skillful level of the goldsmiths of the time. When compared with the collection of jewelry from the Nguyen Dynasty (17th - 18th century) currently kept in the museum, it also shows similarities in the techniques of making gold jewelry.
According to Mr. Doan, the museum has asked the collector to analyze the alloy composition of each artifact using X-ray fluorescence to determine the alloy composition.
“The gold and silver ratio of the artifacts in Dao Danh Duc's collection is completely similar to the artifacts of the same material that we excavated at the Cam Mit tower relic ( Da Nang ) and some Champa artifacts in the collection currently kept at the museum,” the museum leader affirmed.
The stones inlaid and attached to the artifacts were examined and determined to be natural stones. The results of the examination of the current condition, manufacturing techniques, comparison of documents and analysis of alloy and stone composition all determined the authenticity of this collection of artifacts.
However, when determining the date, realizing that the decorations on this collection have a strong inheritance of the above artistic styles, experts initially placed this collection in a chronological framework compatible with the historical context (16th-19th century). This is also a phenomenon we often see in the Dong Son - Dai Viet culture, or Oc Eo - Mac Cuu...
“Therefore, we believe that Dao Danh Duc's collection of antiques belongs to the late period of Champa culture, the 17th - 18th century, before Champa was annexed into Dai Nam under the reign of King Minh Mang, Nguyen Dynasty, in 1832,” informed Mr. Nguyen Van Doan.
MAI AN
![[Photo] General Secretary To Lam attends the launch of 3 digital platforms serving the implementation of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/402x226/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/7/2/d7fb7a42b2c74ffbb1da1124c24d41d3)
Comment (0)