This rare embroidered painting of 'nine dragons' from the Nguyen Dynasty has been preserved almost intact.

This is one of the largest imperial embroidered paintings that has been preserved almost intact, thanks to the silk material and embroidery threads which are difficult to maintain over time.

For many years, Mr. Bui Van Quang (residing in Nam Dinh ward, Ninh Binh province) has dedicated his time and effort to researching and collecting ancient artifacts still preserved in folklore.

Mr. Bui Van Quang introduces the valuable painting he owns.

Despite his long association with antiques, he still considers himself "young" in the world of collecting, because the journey of learning about antiques is a never-ending one. During his collecting career, he has been particularly fortunate to encounter royal decrees and edicts issued by the emperor.

Through collecting and studying the visual language on imperial decrees, especially the imagery of the dragon, he gradually became interested in court art with high symbolic value.

That passion led him to the "nine dragons" embroidery painting dating back to the Nguyen Dynasty, which was crafted with the utmost dedication and exquisite technique by ancient court artisans.

The embroidered "Nine Dragons" painting is designed as a hanging piece (a painting hung straight down from above), measuring 2.25m in length and 1.65m in width. It is embroidered with gold thread combined with multicolored silk thread on a fiery yellow silk background.

To acquire this artwork, Mr. Quang had to persistently pursue it for over 10 years. During that time, he had to travel back and forth many times to persuade the previous owner. Recently, the painting's previous owner finally agreed to sell it.

"From what I understand, this is a royal embroidery piece specially crafted for the emperor, usually hung behind the throne. The artwork depicts nine dragons – nine five-clawed dragons, with the central dragon being the birth dragon, symbolizing the Son of Heaven, and the other dragons arranged around it in order to represent the supreme power of the emperor," Mr. Quang said.

Besides the "nine dragons" embroidered painting, Mr. Quang also owns a pair of embroidered paintings of dragons spitting water, 1.8m long (left), and a pair of embroidered paintings of phoenixes, 2.6m long and 0.55m wide (right), which were also used in the Hue imperial court.

To preserve these embroidered paintings, Mr. Quang has to roll them up and store them in a cupboard to limit humidity, only bringing them out to display at special events.

The details of the clouds and waves in the painting (in the middle) were rendered with exquisite detail and vividness by ancient court artisans, highlighting the majestic beauty of the artwork.

According to Mr. Quang, because silk and embroidery threads are very susceptible to mold, fading, and tearing over time, the number of imperial embroidered paintings that still exist today is extremely small.

Since he acquired these embroidered paintings, many people have offered to buy them at high prices, but he has no intention of selling them. For him, the value of the works lies not only in their material worth but also in the historical and cultural significance that he wants to preserve.

Mr. Tran Thinh, Chairman of the UNESCO Club for Collecting and Preserving Ancient Artifacts in Nam Dinh, assessed the "nine dragons" embroidered painting owned by Mr. Quang as one of the rare large-sized imperial embroidered paintings that has been preserved almost intact, due to the difficulty of the silk and embroidery threads lasting over time. From the perspective of a long-time antique collector, Mr. Thinh estimated the value of this work could reach billions of Vietnamese dong.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/buc-tranh-theu-cuu-long-thoi-nguyen-hiem-hoi-duoc-bao-ton-gan-nhu-nguyen-ven-343237.html