€5,000 - €10,000
A Chinese blue and white 'Bleu de Hue' bowl for the Vietnamese market, Giap Ti mark, ca. 1804
Dia.: 13,7 cm - H.: 7 cm
This bowl was not crafted for trade; instead, it is a historical commemorative piece created during the pivotal diplomatic mission to China that established the Nguyen Dynasty under its first king, Gia Long, in 1804. Commissioned in limited quantities, it served as a personal souvenir for the leader and members of the embassy, marking the importance of this mission in solidifying the dynasty's early relations.
Provenance:
- The collection of Dr. Claus Vollers, German ambassador in Vietnam, 1981-84.
- The collection of Thomas Ulbrich, Studio Tho, Hanoi-Berlin, acquired from the above.
Ref.:
- do su ky kieu thoi Nguyen (Commissioned Patterned Porcelains In the Nguyen Era), p. 117, where it is stated that only two of these specific dragon bowl seem to exist, of which only one is outside Vietnam (which is this bowl). (see added image)
- Only very few pieces with this year mark are recorded, for example: do su ky kieu doi Gia Long. Museum Hue (link) and one with Giap Ty mark in the collection of Vuong Hong Sen (museum in Saigon) (link)
- Tu Vi tieng noi mien Nam (Dictionary of the Southern Language) by Vuong Hong Sen, Nha Xuat ban Tre (Youth Publishing House), Hochiminh City, 1998 pp: 411-412, where it is stated (translated):
Le Quang dinh (1760 - 1815), birth name Tri Chi, penname Tan Trai, from Phu Vang province (Thùa Thien), went to the South (of Vietnam, today HCM/ Saigon) to study with Vo Truong Toan, befriended with Ngo Thanh Tinh and Trinh Hoai duc who all three were known as the Gia dinh's Trio;
He followed Lord Nguyen anh (by later dynastic name GIA LONG ) and achieved many feats, gained many positions and titles, leaded a delegation with participation of Le Chanh Lo , Le Gia Cat to Qing-dynasty China. (Source according to Le Thá» Xuan in the Year Book of the Association for Study Promotion in 1942).
Following this first official delegation to China (1803) was a second delegation soon after and lead by 'diplomatic' envoy Trinh Hoai duc in year Giap Ty (1804). In return to these two diplomatic envoy delegations from Vietnam, the Guangxi's Surveillance Commissioner Te Bo Sam, who carried out diplomatic duties for the Qing government under emperor Jiaqing, bestowed the Vietnamese requested investiture for Lord Nguyen anh by an official document (Sac phong) which was accompanied by a present - a tea set with the mark Giap Ty / Nien Che.
- Interpretation by Mr. Ulbrich: The porcelain group of bowls and teasets with the base mark Giap Ti 1804) were ordered to be manufactured by the Chinese mandarin Te Bo Sam, who was in charge of the foreign supervision and diplomatic exchanges with the southern border neighbours. The Vietnamese delegation mandarins had been sent to China and requested officially, to acknowledge the new Vietnamese leader-in-power, Nguyen Phuc anh, as new king of their country. Two delegations were sent from Vietnam, and the Chinese side finally came to the conclusion, to bestow the new Vietnamese ruler with the title of 'king of Vietnam', not with title 'emperor' - equal to the Chinese emperors title - as requested by the Vietnamese side. The porcelain selected or ordered by the Chinese side along with the installment document, is considered as a kind of present to the new vietnamese 'king'.
The date mark Giap Ti commemorates this political event - the founding year of the newly established Nguyen Dynasty and the proclamation of its first ruler Nguyen anh, who took the dynastic name 'Gia Long' after proclamation and enthronement. The specific design ordered and manufactured by the Chinese side as a diplomatic gift for the Vietnamese, represents and expresses the diplomatic controversy of the new Vietnamese ruler's title 'emperor' or 'king': A dragon with four claws.
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