The most important seal of the Nguyen Dynasty
In the first announcement, the French company Million said that the Nguyen Dynasty gold seal will be on the auction floor on October 31, 2022 with a starting price of 2-3 million euros (VND 48.1 billion to VND 72.2 billion). ). This is a gold seal of the Nguyen Dynasty made of rare gold, cast in 1823 during the reign of Minh Mang. The antique is 10.4cm high, square face (13.8cm x 13.7cm), weighs 10.78kg.
The handle is molded in the shape of a meandering dragon, with its head raised, eyes looking forward, steady posture. The dragon’s forehead has inscriptions, the dorsal fin and the dragon’s tail is erect. The four molded dragon legs clearly show the five claws. The lower side is embossed with 4 seals “Emperor chi bao” (roughly translated: Treasures of the Emperor).
The seal “Emperor chi bao” was used for public and political activities of the Nguyen Dynasty such as the inauguration ceremony, the granting of amnesty, the pardon, the patrolling of localities, and the decrees given to foreign countries. (Photo: Million).
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism then coordinated with many ministries and agencies to plan the repatriation of ancient seals through cultural diplomacy. The Vietnamese delegation through all channels, including the exchange of letters and official notes, contacts and meetings with the foreign affairs adviser of the French president, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the French Ministry of Culture, leaders of UNESCO and relevant specialized departments, propose to intervene, stop the auction.
With the attention of Vietnam, Millon has twice had to postpone the gold stamp auction. This company, following working with our country’s interdisciplinary delegation, has reached an agreement to transfer the seal “in the spirit of consensus and understanding between the two sides and the friendly cooperative relationship between the two countries Vietnam and the Republic of China.” French Peace”.
According to historian Duong Trung Quoc, the golden seal “Emperor chi bao” has two value systems. Firstly, the seal is made of pure gold, a precious metal material, but more importantly the seal is a symbol of a State, an institution, a dynasty in the past of Vietnam.
The Nguyen Dynasty has many different seals, but the golden seal under King Minh Mang was the time when the country began to stabilize, perfect the national institution and territory, so this seal is very valuable in terms of history.
This is considered the largest, beautiful, precious and most important golden seal of the Nguyen dynasty.
Second, this seal is proof of a historical moment. On August 30, 1945, when the representatives of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam entered Hue to celebrate the announcement of King Bao Dai’s abdication, King Bao Dai took a seal and a sword and gave it to him. State of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The handing over of the sword signifies the power vested in a new polity. Therefore, the withdrawal is necessary both in terms of the State as well as the aspirations of the people.
How to repatriate antiques?
From the event of repatriating the ancient seal “Emperor chi bao”, many experts believe that it is necessary to develop a policy on repatriation of antiquities. Dr. Pham Quoc Quan, former director of the National Museum of History – one of the members of the delegation to France to negotiate, said that this is not the first time that Vietnamese antiquities have been presented. overseas auction. Previously, hats of the Nguyen Dynasty, Nhat Binh’s robes, hand-drawn carts and long sieves of King Thanh Thai… were also put up for auction in France and Spain.
