There are nearly 200 antiques and artifacts on display at the Museum.

Fate

“In response to the Hue Festival 2024 and Vu Lan festival this year, collectors Nguyen Huu Hoang (from Hue) and Lam Du Xenh (from Quang Ngai ) had the “fate” to come up with the idea of ​​organizing a special exhibition called “Buddhist Imprints on Antiques,” researcher Tran Dinh Son began the story.

According to Mr. Son, our country has a favorable geographical position, located on the international maritime trade route, so since ancient times, Vietnamese Buddhism has formed large sects, in addition to Mahayana, Hinayana, there are also Tantric Buddhism, Zen Buddhism... Besides, trade and preaching have formed a treasure trove of relics and antiquities related to Buddhism that is extremely diverse and rich. Many works have high value in terms of religious history, culture and art. Most of the relics and antiquities of this culture have always been of interest to and highly appreciated by researchers and collectors at home and abroad .

Currently, in Vietnamese museums and private collections, thousands of antiquities bearing the mark of Buddhism from many great civilizations in the world are preserved; including collections of Buddhist antiquities made of many materials, such as ceramics, metal, wood, stone... "Nearly 200 artifacts are antiquities currently preserved in Vietnam that have been identified as dating from the 7th to the 19th century, with spiritual value in Buddhist beliefs, contributing to highlighting the vivid, colorful picture of the national Buddhist cultural heritage", said Mr. Son.

Visiting the exhibition space, Mr. Tom Kenny, a tourist from the US, was very impressed with these works. There, he saw the aesthetic concept of Buddhist culture expressed very perfectly and differently. "It is hard to imagine that the Buddha Shakyamuni statues made of sandstone were crafted from the 7th - 13th centuries, which shows that the stone carving technique in your country Vietnam has developed to a high level. Or the stone statues of Quan The Am with elaborate, meticulous and beautiful carvings from more than 600 years ago", Mr. Tom Kenny exclaimed.

This is also an attractive point for most tourists, young people, and those who are passionate about Buddhist history and culture when they "get lost" in the exhibition space at 114 Mai Thuc Loan, Hue City.

And luck too

Coming to the exhibition, the public and visitors can admire the collections of Buddha statues carved from jade, ivory, sandstone, gilded wood; various types of Buddha statues or antiques related to religious instruments (worship objects)... From there, one can clearly feel how rich the Buddhist culture in general and Vietnamese Buddhism in particular is in terms of art through statues with sophisticated carvings, typical of the sects. If the nobility uses gold, silver, jade, ivory to create precious Buddha statues, the people have wooden Buddha statues. Or vivid Bodhisattva statues from bamboo roots...

Collector Lam Du Xenh brought a collection of nearly 40 artifacts including stone Buddha statues, ceramics with intricate patterns and bronze mirrors dating back thousands of years, collected from sunken ships in the Central region. Nguyen Huu Hoang brought 10 exhibits, especially a silver Buddha statue of the Southern sect of the Champa culture, a wooden Manjushri Buddha statue of the Japanese culture. These two statues were introduced to our country during the Nguyen Dynasty, circulated among the people and Mr. Hoang had the chance to encounter them.

Lam Du Xenh said he loves Buddhist culture, is passionate about antiques, and lives near Binh Son beach, so he knows many fishermen. When people go to sea and accidentally cast their nets and find antiques from sunken ships, he begs them to leave them behind and gradually collects them over a long period of time. "In particular, I was quite lucky to find stone Buddha statues from salvage. Or ceramics from the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties with intact motifs and glazes," Lam Du Xenh said.

Open from now until March 2025, “Buddhist Imprints on Ancient Monuments” will be an unmissable destination for cultural and antiquities researchers, young people who want to learn more about history, the richness of heritage and Buddhism associated with the cultural life of Vietnam from the past to the present.


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