How beautiful and sophisticated was the Nguyen Dynasty throne before it was broken?

NGAI VÀNG - Ảnh 1. — The Nguyen Dynasty throne is located at Thai Hoa Palace - a national treasure recognized in 2015 - Photo: NHAT LINH

The Nguyen Dynasty throne - a national treasure recognized by the Prime Minister in 2015 - is considered the most important remaining treasure of the Nguyen Dynasty.

According to the national treasure recognition records kept at the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum, this throne is made of wood, painted red and gilded.

The back of the throne is the highest part, consisting of a narrow rectangular wooden board about 18cm wide placed vertically, each side has two square-edged backrests.

The wooden board is embossed with the theme "long ham tho". The border around the armrest is carved with the theme "leaf turning into bat".

The armrests are curved, following the back of the chair to both sides to form two dragon heads. The throne surface (the sitting part) is rectangular, measuring 87x72cm.

From the throne face to the feet, there are 2 parts: Connecting the throne face and the 4 legs is a strip of alternating square and rectangular compartments, lined with glass, surrounded by carved patterns. Next are the 4 throne legs, kneeling style. The surrounding sides and corners are all embossed with horizontal dragon faces.

NGAI VÀNG - Ảnh 2. — From the throne face to the feet consists of 2 parts: Connecting the throne face and 4 feet is a strip of alternating square and rectangular compartments, lined with glass, surrounded by carved patterns - Photo: NHAT LINH

Everything is painted red, the decorative details are gilded. The throne is placed on a rectangular wooden base, the surrounding frame is embossed with the theme of "dragon and cloud" with 6 dragon heads protruding. The middle board is painted red.

The throne and throne base are placed on a gilded wooden platform, consisting of 3 overlapping levels.

The sides around the three levels of the throne are all embossed with the theme of "dragon and cloud" with different motifs: The sides of the top level are embossed with the theme of "two dragons facing the sun"; the sides of the second level are embossed with the image of two dragons facing a horizontal dragon holding the character "longevity", the sides of the bottom level have the middle part embossed with the image of two dragons facing a horizontal dragon holding the character "longevity", and the corners are embossed with the image of a dragon horse carrying a bagua and a book box.

All decorative panels on the four sides of the four pedestal floors are gilded, with borders around them.

The left and right sides of the bottom floor have 2 pins with 2 iron rings attached, which are handles when moving the throne.

By the time the throne was recognized as a national treasure, the joints of the throne were loose and cracked. The gilded lacquer was covered with dirt. The decorative glazed panels below the throne base were damaged.

The right armrest was broken and had been temporarily reinforced with steel wire. A piece of the throne base was rotten and the gold paint was peeling off.

NGAI VÀNG - Ảnh 3. — The dragon head symbol is elaborately carved on the armrest of the throne - Photo: NHAT LINH

Originally, this was the throne of the Nguyen Dynasty kings (1802 - 1945), set up in Thai Hoa Palace (inside Hue Imperial Citadel) from the past until now.

In 1923, to prepare for the 40th anniversary of King Khai Dinh, the royal court ordered the creation of a gilded wooden canopy to cover the throne. The person who created this canopy was named Nguyen Van Kha, and was given the title of "Han Lam Kiem Thao" by the king, so he was often called Kiem Kha.

This throne was moved from Thai Hoa Palace to the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum when the palace began major renovations in late 2021. In 2024, the Nguyen Dynasty throne was brought back to display at Thai Hoa Palace for visitors after the palace completed its renovation.

Restored version of Nguyen Dynasty throne will be displayed

The leader of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center said that after the incident, the national treasure throne was brought to the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum for storage. The broken pieces of the throne were sealed by Hue City Police as evidence in the case.

In the immediate future, the center will display the throne that has just been restored by the center in a 1:1 version (previously displayed at Ngu Phung floor) to serve visitors to Thai Hoa palace.

Some images related to the Nguyen Dynasty throne located at Thai Hoa Palace before it was broken: