About the Nguyen Dynasty's golden 'Dragon carrying the sun palanquin' auctioned for 2.3 billion VND

Speaking of Vietnam's gold antiques, the Nguyen Dynasty still has the largest number. The Nguyen Dynasty's treasures that King Bao Dai handed over to the Viet Minh government in 1945 when he abdicated include more than 2,500 gold, silver, jade, and ivory treasures; including more than 100 gold seals (some weighing more than 10 kg), and more than 100 gold books (some also weighing 10 kg).

Souvenirs of Dr. Laurent Gaide - Source: Invaluable.com

PHOTO: AUTHOR'S DOCUMENTS

In addition, there are many other gold treasures such as swords, bowls, plates, washbasins, golden branches and jade leaves... Especially the four golden hats of the king that I was honored to be invited to restore in 2008. That is not to mention the countless gold, silver, jade, and ivory treasures that the French took away during their occupation, especially in 1885 when the Hue capital fell.

Currently, there are many artifacts of the Nguyen Dynasty floating on the world market, and they have been auctioned. The most typical is the "Hoang De Chi Bao" seal which was bought by a private individual and the hat of a Nguyen Dynasty mandarin which was successfully auctioned by Sunshine Group Joint Stock Company, then donated to Thua Thien-Hue province.

Through research, the antique that the Golden Age auction site mentioned has the following information:

Indochina 1921. Decorative 18k gold pedestal, made using embossing and sculpting techniques. The pedestal is arched and consists of two dragons rising from the water chasing a flaming pearl. The structure is supported by two reclining Buddhist tigers. The two dragons support a banner reading: "Promotion to Officers - Legion of Honor - January". The entire structure is placed on a square pedestal, decorated with the heads of mythical creatures.

Weight: 172g.

Origin: Collection of: Docteur Laurent Gaide (1870 - 1960), physician, director of the Indochina Health Department.

Souvenirs of Dr. Laurent Gaide - Source: Invaluable.com

PHOTO: AUTHOR'S DOCUMENTS

Dr. Laurent Gaide received the title of Officer from the Legion of Honour (Légion d'honneur) on January 10, 1921 and the title of Commander for his contributions during 32 years of service and for the 26 military campaigns in which he participated.

Looking at the image and the engraved content on the antique, along with the information of the auction house, I realized: This is not a stand, but an item made to mark a great memory in the military service life of doctor Laurent Gaide in Vietnam in 1921, during the reign of King Khai Dinh (1916 - 1925). About the weight of 172g, it is calculated as 4 taels, 6 chi, 8 phan, 6 ly of gold.

Although the origin and provenance of the artifact are clear, the issue here is the very special decorative theme of a French souvenir, shown in the details: On top is the image of the sun placed on a pedestal with a stylized chrysanthemum in a horizontal and vertical view but with a swirling cloud pattern, and on the surface is engraved a line of text (believed to be the above banner).

Next below are two dragons with expressions carrying flower and sun motifs. Further down is a pedestal with a pattern of rolling waves, and below that are two unicorn statues supporting the water wave pedestal. All are placed on a pedestal that looks like a table. The whole scene is very Vietnamese except for the writing.

Sun flower, on terracotta leaves, Tran Dynasty. Source: Book Sun & Chrysanthemum - symbol of Vietnamese royalty

PHOTO: AUTHOR'S DOCUMENTS

In short, this is the theme: Dragon carrying the sun palanquin, in which the flower image is also a palanquin because it is clearly shown with kneeling legs placed on the carrying pole, and the two dragons are shown rising from the water surface. All with the intention of honoring the sun, implying respect for the Nguyen Dynasty king (the sun is the symbol of the Nguyen Dynasty king).

So, is the decorative meaning on the artifact appropriate for a commemoration of a promotion of a French doctor, since the French army was not directly under the Nguyen Dynasty? And what is the Legion of Honor here? Why is the inscription displayed in a very honorable position on the sun pedestal and not engraved on the base according to the French tradition?

The above issues, together with the highlight of the artifact is the image of a chrysanthemum supporting the sun - this is a royal motif, traditional and very popular in the Ly, Tran, Le, Nguyen dynasties - this item was most likely designed and crafted by the "Noi Kim Tuong Cuc" of the Nguyen Dynasty. The Honorary Corps could be a corps directly under the royal court in name, and Dr. Laurent Gaide was promoted by King Khai Dinh, along with this item as a reward. This is probably also the answer to the inscription shown in the position of honor as a banner supporting the king's symbol.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ve-rong-khenh-kieu-mat-troi-bang-vang-cua-trieu-nguyen-ban-dau-gia-23-ti-dong-185241015221340468.htm