Two Nguyen Dynasty artefacts returned to Vietnam
Two Nguyen Dynasty artefacts dating back to the 19th century have been returned to Vietnam after they were bought by a company at an auction in Spain.
According to Hoang Viet Trung, Director of the Centre for Conservation of Hue Monuments, the artefacts, including a mandarin hat and a Nhat Binh dress (royal costume of the Nguyen Dynasty), were purchased by the Sunshine Group Joint Stock Company at the auction in October 2021.
They was shipped to Hanoi by air. After that, the antiques were continued to be transported to Hue. They were then donated to Thua Thien Hue Province, where the Nguyen Dynasty royal palace complex was located.
The Vietnamese mandarin hat, coming with a box in lacquered and gilded wood, was initially offered by the auction house at 500 to 600 euros. However, it sold for 600,000 euros, excluding tax.
The mandarin hat from the Nguyen Dynasty sold for 600,000 euros at an auction in Spain. — Photo courtesy of Balclis Auction House
Meanwhile, the Nhat Binh dress, a casual clothing item worn by the Empress dowager, Empress consort, and princesses of the Nguyen Dynasty, also went for a significant sum.
The two auctioned items sold for about US$1.5 million in total.
The provincial leaders earlier said they valued the meaningful gesture of the company and assigned relevant agencies to work with the company to complete legal procedures on the donation of the artefacts.
The artefacts are scheduled to arrive in Viet Nam in early April. The mandarin hat was made around the end of the 19th or early 20th century, while the silk dress dates back to the 19th century. They will be preserved and displayed at the Hue Museum of Royal Fine Arts.
