Ancient Saigon Pottery tells a story: Discovering a set of statues worshiping the three powers of heaven, earth, and water

Considered one of the most unique ceramic statues in the South, Tam Quan Dai De worships three cosmic powers: heaven, earth, and water, which always contain many secrets in folk beliefs, and even Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History had to admit: 'Very unique and very interesting'.

The Southern region, especially Saigon in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was a dynamic economic and social center, which imported many belief systems such as Northern Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism from outside, including the Tam Quan Dai De belief - worshiping three transcendent powers of the universe: heaven (thien), earth (dia) and water (thuy), each power is governed by a god.

The Earth Official wears a flat hat.

Photo: TUAN HOANG

The Tam Quan Dai De statue set: the authority of the "cosmic administrative center"

The Tam Quan Dai De statue set on Saigon ceramics - typical of ancient Southern ceramics, is on display at the Ho Chi Minh City History Museum, depicting 3 Great Emperors and 6 attendants. The statue set dates back to the early 20th century, produced by Buu Nguyen ceramic kiln in De Ngan (Saigon), and is currently in the private collection of Mr. Le Thanh Nghia and has been recognized as an antique.

According to the analysis of the group of researchers Dang Hoang Lan, Duong Hoang Hai Binh, Nguyen Viet Vinh (University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City National University) and Le Thanh Nghia (Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Antiquities Association) at the work "The Value of the Tam Quan Dai De Statue Set of Saigon Pottery ": "The crown and hat of Thien Quan are "round phoc hats" (Dai Trieu hat type), while Dia Quan and Thuy Quan wear "binh thien hats". All are decorated with embossed motifs of "two dragons facing the jade" very sophisticated and uniform. The faces and hands, the uniformity in facial expressions and especially the hand posture "clasped in front of the chest, left hand inside, right hand outside" on all 3 statues are clear signs of using molds to ensure consistency and standards for the statue set. The dragon robe, the motifs on the shirt such as the image of a 4-clawed dragon and embossed clouds are all repetitive and highly detailed. In particular, the unique motifs on the bodice of each statue - The fruit vine of Di Guan and the Chinese character "壽" (longevity) in the seal form of Thuy Quan are typical examples of using molds to create complex decorative panels before attaching them to the statue.

Statue of the Great Emperor Dia Quan

Statue of the Great Emperor Thuy Quan

Photo: Le Thanh Nghia

Unique is the statue of Thien Quan decorated with a "dragon robe", two dragons on both shoulders, the dragon face looking straight with a four-clawed dragon and embossed clouds, the robe has a water wave pattern, wearing a belt and sandals. His role is concretized by two attendants standing in attendance, wearing a long robe with a "symmetry of phoenix, water waves, and clouds" decoration, a symbol of the civil mandarin rank, wearing a belt and sandals.

"One attendant stands on the right of the Thien Quan statue, wearing an ivory white shirt with green shoulders, holding a brush; the other attendant stands on the left of the Thien Quan statue, wearing a green shirt with blue shoulders, holding a book in his hand, one head resting on his left shoulder. Both statues have the same height of 69 cm, turning the altar into a heavenly court, where merits and virtues are recorded and approved. These details visually concretize the administrative role of Thien Quan, the person who manages the books of merits and virtues of the gods," the group of authors added.

Statue of Thien Quan Dai De

Photo: Le Thanh Nghia

Artifacts from Mr. Le Thanh Nghia's private collection are on display at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History.

Photo: TUAN HOANG

Admiring the statues, viewers can see the solemnity, order, and authority of a "cosmic administrative center", corresponding to the function of "Thien Quan tu phuc" - a heavenly official who bestows blessings on the human world. "His benevolent face and his civil servants materialize his role as a supreme official of heaven, receiving requests and approving blessings. The creativity in adding the symbol of 'longevity' on the Thuy Quan dragon robe also shows the process of localization and enriching the meaning of beliefs in the cultural context at that time," said Mr. Le Thanh Nghia.

It can be seen that the Tam Quan Dai De statue set - typical of ancient Southern pottery - is not only a unique ceramic art work but also an important documentary heritage, contributing to clarifying the close relationship between sophisticated ceramic making techniques, as well as the rich spiritual and religious life of generous Southern people in the late 19th - early 20th century.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/gom-sai-gon-xua-ke-chuyen-kham-pha-bo-tuong-tho-3-quyen-nang-thien-dia-thuy-185251031101118383.htm