Unique national treasure: A pair of exquisite bronze unicorns without tails from the Le Trung Hung period

Intact, original shape

The national treasure file of the bronze statues says that the artifacts were collected by the Hanoi Museum in 1992. When they were brought here, the bronze statues were still covered with a lot of soil and some small pieces on the body and legs were chipped and broken. "This proves that the artifacts were discovered by chance by the people. Currently, the bronze statues are well preserved, with a layer of green-gray patina evenly covering them. This is the result of the museum's preservation and conservation process to serve the research, display and promotion of their value," the Hanoi Museum informed.

Độc lạ bảo vật quốc gia: Đôi nghê đồng mất đuôi tinh xảo thời Lê Trung Hưng- Ảnh 1. — Pair of national treasures at Hanoi Museum

Information from the treasure file says: "Although the pair of bronze statues have lost their tails, they are still intact and in their original shape. The Hanoi Museum has processed and preserved them to ensure the requirements for preservation and promotion in research and display."

According to the Hanoi Museum, the pair of bronze statues are depicted in a kneeling posture, in a non-uniform circular sculpture style consisting of three separate parts: head - body - tail (lost), then assembled with mortise and tenon to create a complete work, with traces difficult to recognize, containing a concept of belief and spirituality.

The pair of lions are considered to have a firm and majestic kneeling posture. The two front legs are straight, the head is raised high, the face is facing upwards, the eyes are looking straight ahead. The lion's face is vividly depicted with deep eyes, large, thick eyebrows, a large nose, a wide mouth, a curved tongue, and prominent teeth with two impressive fangs as if smiling, showing majesty but also giving a sense of closeness. The lion's face is considered to have been created by a very hard-working artist.

The body of the Nghe is round, the belly is sunken, the chest is wide and forward, and the neck is wearing a bell. The Nghe has prominent veins on the neck and chest, expressing the thinness of a diligent spirit, guarding the sacred place of worship. The entire body of the Nghe is covered with thick fur, curled at the head, but still revealing the ribs, the prominent veins combined with the neck and chest represent the asceticism of the place of practice.

The national treasure dossier states: "...it is an unreal mascot, but somewhere we can still see the real elements of an animal that is very close to human life, a friend, a loyal servant of humans in daily life".

Dong Son tradition returns

What is highly appreciated in the pair of dragons is the dense yet clear and concise decorative patterns. The beards, feathers, bells... are expressed in tiny lines. This shows the talent of the creator, the craftsman. More importantly, it shows a return to the tradition of more than 1,000 years ago - the golden age of Dong Son culture with dense patterns on bronze drums. The superb technique of Dong Son bronze casting also seems to return to the Le Trung Hung period through the super thinness of the casting and the almost absence of technical errors left by the casting process.

The pair of bronze Nghe statues of the Hanoi Museum are among the few bronze religious artworks discovered in Vietnam. Currently, the National Museum of History, the An Bien Antiquities Collection (Hai Phong), the Hai Phong Museum, and the Nam Dinh Museum (Ninh Binh Province) are all preserving bronze Nghe statues, but they are badly damaged, broken, or no longer symmetrical pairs. The pair of Nghe statues belonging to the An Bien Antiquities Collection (Hai Phong) are the most intact, but they are the Nghe statues on the incense burner, different from the pair of Nghe statues of the Hanoi Museum, which are kneeling and guarding the watch. In addition, the pair of Nghe statues of the Hanoi Museum are also much larger (59 cm high, 12 kg in weight) than the pair of Nghe statues of An Bien (45 cm, 3 kg in weight).

One of the reasons why this pair of bronze unicorns became a national treasure is that they carry the artistic value typical of an era. According to heritage records, during the Le Trung Hung period (17th - 18th century), the unicorns really developed and took shape, becoming a prominent theme in Vietnamese religious and spiritual art. In fact, the unicorns were the most prominent image in the Le Trung Hung period to create an easily recognizable artistic style. This pair of bronze unicorns was inspired by the decoration on drums and bronze jars of the Dong Son period, very close to Ly - Tran ceramics, Tran bronze drums, and Mac incense burners by artisan Dang Huyen Thong. (to be continued)

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doc-la-bao-vat-quoc-gia-doi-nghe-dong-mat-duoi-tinh-xao-thoi-le-trung-hung-185241008214311168.htm