Bat Trang Pottery – Values that last forever

From the early Le Dynasty (XV century) to the later dynasties, with the policy of developing industry, commerce, and commodity economy, there were more favorable conditions for development. Bat Trang ceramic products are abundant and widely circulated with many designs, glaze colors as well as features of use from villages to palaces, from gifts to diplomatic tributes... Moreover, together with the center Pottery production center in Chu Dau (Hai Duong) and Thang Long (Hanoi), Bat Trang pottery has been involved in exporting to Southeast Asia (Philippines, Thailand...), contributing to the Silk Road on The sea prospered in the 15th century.

The top is decorated with embossed dragon and Nghe images, glazed pottery, Le Trung Hung Dynasty, Vinh Huu 2 era (1736).

Currently, the National Museum of History is one of the few museums in Vietnam that still preserves a collection of rare and precious Bat Trang ancient ceramics dating from the 14th - 19th centuries with a variety of types, including: household appliances (jars, vases, plates, bowls, kettles, cups, wine glasses, bowls, pots, jars, pots...); worshiping objects (lamp stand, compression foot, incense burner, top, ceramic tray...); decorative items (model houses, long communal houses, gruesome statues, tiger statues, elephant statues, dragon statues, diamond statues...) with main types of enamel such as brown enamel, blue enamel, ivory white enamel, moss green enamel, etc. glaze… decorated with floral patterns, water waves, clouds, dragons, phoenixes, people…. With a fairly rich presence in terms of types, decorative themes and continuous dating, the Bat Trang pottery collection is kept and displayed at the National Museum of History as a chronicle of Bat Trang pottery. Trang.

However, depending on the period, techniques, decorative styles, decorative themes, and enamel colors are shown differently. In the XIV - XV centuries, in order to create unique ceramic works, the artisans used mainly the technique of engraving brown enamel, according to the technique of making brown flower ceramics of the Ly - Tran dynasties, combined with emboss. float and draw blue. The theme of decoration is limited to the projects of flowers and leaves, following the brown flower ceramics of the Tran Dynasty. In the sixteenth century, along with the appearance of large-sized lampstands and incense burners, embossed decoration techniques combined with blue painting reached a sophisticated level. Popular decorative themes include dragons, phoenixes interspersed with clouds, winged horses, human animations, standing lotus petals, wire flowers, deciduous leaves, landscape painting and water.... Decorative ceramic products painted in blue are still popular, many geometric and floral patterns are close to the exported blue-flowered ceramics produced at the same time in Chu Dau (Hai Duong). In the seventeenth century, the technique of engraving and embossing on Bat Trang pottery became more sophisticated and sophisticated. The decoration theme continued in the 16th century, and at the same time, other new decorative themes appeared: the quartet of spirits, tigers, grizzlies, cranes.... Other typical embossed, carpentry themes such as oval chrysanthemum, 8-petal flower, round chrysanthemum, leaf-shaped petals, square lotus petals, the words "Van" "Tho" .... The use of blue glaze gradually decreased, instead, the appearance of reef glaze pottery with a combination of floating decoration themes of dragons, four spirits, flowers, chrysanthemum - bamboo - apricot .... In the 16th - 18th centuries, there was also a line of multicolored glaze ceramics, notably moss green glaze, with unique decorative themes: lotus, bird, grizzly, human figure.... In the 18th century, embossed decoration almost dominated, replacing the blue decoration on Bat Trang pottery. The techniques of embossing and gluing have been adapted to the use of monochromatic enamel (white-gray enamel and cracked enamel). The decoration theme in addition to the quartet of spirits, dragons, and ghouls also shows plants representing the 4 seasons. In addition to the topic of lotus, bamboo, birds and flowers, there are also various kinds of trigrams, flip leaves, etc. The frilly pattern thrives on swastika brocades, pointed lotus petals, inscriptions, water waves, etc. In the 19th century, Bat Trang blue-flower pottery was restored and developed with a style combining the use of many types of enamel in decoration. In addition to the previous decorative themes, there are also themes with artistic influences or Chinese classics such as "The profitable fisherman", "To Vu herding goats", "The Eight Immortals over the sea", the style of the "Eight Immortals". water, poetry…

In particular, in the Bat Trang pottery collection, many ceramics with engraved or written Chinese characters are very rare, providing a lot of information about nearly 30 pottery writers who are Bat Trang people of the Le - Mac dynasties. That's the guy who passed the third grade to the chief of the commune. It was the whole family of Mr. Do Phu with his wife and son, daughter, daughter-in-law. Full names of people who ordered pottery from Pho Ma, Princess to the popular classes, spread over many provinces and cities in the Northern Delta. Many artifacts have the date of the King, most likely it is a product of "kiln mandarin" in Bat Trang or ordered by the royal court under the Le, Mac, Tay Son, and Nguyen dynasties.

Tiger statue, ceramic glaze, Le Dynasty Trung Hung, era Canh Hung (1740-1786)

Through the collection of Bat Trang ceramics kept at the National Museum of History, it shows that Bat Trang ceramic products with unique harmonious beauty in shape, glaze color and brushstrokes not only dominate the domestic market, but also have a strong influence on the market. exported to many countries in the region, countries in the Middle East, some European countries, stored and displayed at many museums in many countries.

Inheriting that tradition, Bat Trang pottery is increasingly developed and diversified. In addition to traditional products, Bat Trang ceramics can also produce many new products and export products according to foreign orders. In particular, the method of combining productive labor with tourism development to preserve and promote traditional values. Ceramic products are combined between tradition (through themes of flowers, birds, animals, people…) and modern (with many designs, enamel colors, processing techniques…) to suit the tastes of consumers. . Pottery artists have always had a sense of preserving tradition by restoring valuable contemporary ceramics such as: some artisans have initially succeeded in creating brown flower ceramic products. Tran), lam reef (Nguyen Dynasty) ... at the same time, there are special creations in the design and color of enamel (artisan Tran Do has created many precious enamel colors). Thereby not only showing the dynamism and creativity of talented potters, but also contributing to the preservation of traditional craft villages and national cultural quintessence.