Located deep in Bat Trang village (Gia Lam, Hanoi ), Mr. Pham Viet Khoa's small workshop is operating continuously in the early days of 2024. Born and raised in Bat Trang, Mr. Pham Viet Khoa has been involved in the ceramics industry for nearly 40 years. Mr. Khoa's workshop currently has 4 workers who sometimes have to work overtime from morning to night to meet orders.
Inspired by the Emperor's seal that was successfully brought from France to Vietnam, artisans in Bat Trang village have adapted and created unique gold-plated Dragon seals to serve the needs of the upcoming Year of the Dragon.
It is known that this product is inspired by the golden seal "Hoang De Chi Bao" - a priceless treasure of Vietnam - and the shape is inspired by the dragon of the Le Dynasty currently residing at Dien Kinh Thien - Thang Long Imperial Citadel.
To create a complete seal, it must go through many stages. The craftsman must create the shape from clay, this is a stage that requires meticulous care as each carving needs to be precise. Then the seal will be fired. After leaving the kiln, it will go to the most awaited stage: painting gold. The craftsman will use liquid gold to draw each line on the dragon product, then continue to fire for another 6 to 8 hours to achieve a prominent, luxurious look.
These days, Mr. Pham Viet Khoa and his fellow potters are busy completing products with dragon mascot symbols according to orders from a business to serve consumer needs for the upcoming Lunar New Year 2024.
Born and raised in Bat Trang, Mr. Pham Viet Khoa has been involved in the ceramics industry for nearly 40 years. Mr. Khoa's workshop currently has 4 workers who often have to work overtime from morning to night to meet orders.
Mr. Pham Viet Khoa shared: "The dragon symbolizes majesty, prosperity and luck. The product is stylized in the form of the Emperor's treasure from the Minh Mang era". To create a complete ceramic dragon seal product, it must go through many stages. The first stage is to shape the product from clay, this is a job that requires the skill and meticulousness of the craftsman.
Ms. Dao Yen has been working in Bat Trang for more than 10 years. She is responsible for making small details for products such as beards, dorsal fins... According to Ms. Yen, during this time, she and everyone in the workshop have to work continuously to meet orders.
Once the basic finishing and enameling is complete, the "blank" product is fired for about 5 days before being painted with gold.
After the product leaves the kiln, it will go to the most awaited stage: gold painting. The craftsman will use liquid gold to draw each line on the dragon product, then continue to bake for another 6 to 8 hours to achieve a prominent, luxurious look.
Mr. Mac Trieu Duong, a craftsman, said that each dragon product will be completed in about 2 and a half hours. Each craftsman can complete 5-6 products per day. The craftsman will use a solution containing 24K gold to decorate the product. After that, the seals will continue to be baked a second time at the appropriate temperature for about 6-8 hours to create a luxurious gold-plated layer.
A completed Dragon Seal product. On 3 sides of the product are the 3 words An-Thuan-Phat, the remaining side is carved with a scene of a carp transforming into a dragon, representing transformation, superiority, and transition to a new stage.
The seals are named Ky Linh Giap Thin 2024 and are part of a product collection called "Sacred Dragon Seal". The representative of the business that ordered this product said that the above collection is meant as a milestone marking a new era, entering a new phase of prosperity.
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