The Nine Dynastic Urns

The Nine Dynastic Urns

The Nine Dynastic Urns are the nine greatest bronze urns in Vietnam , placed beside Hiển Lâm Pavilion, in front of the Thế Temple . They were cast under Emperor Minh Mang from the end of 1835 to early 1837 with the following features Each urn’s name coresponds to the posthumous title (the title after his death) of the emperors worshipped in Thế Temple

For examples, Cao Urn is named after Emperor Thê Tổ Cao (Gia Long), Nhân Urn after Emperor thánh Tổ Nhân (Minh Mạng) , Chương, Anh, Nghị, Tuyên and Thuần Urns after the next Emperors Thiệu Trị, Tự Đức, Kiến Phước, Đồng Khánh and Khải Định respectively. Until 1958 only seven altars stood in Thế Temple together with seven urns. Dụ and Huyền Urns had not been used yet.

At first sight, the nine urns rather resemble each other. However, in reality, they all differ in weight, height, leg and handle shapes, and especially the 17 embossed pictures together with notes surrounding the urn, creating altogether 153 images. They depict the typical scenery of Vietnam in the early 19th century from Lạng Sơn to Cà Mau, with traditional patterns of its stars, rivers, mountains, seas and oceans, boats, vehicles, rare forest and sea products, etc. Together with the altars in Thế Temple , the Nine Dynastic Urns were also installed at their current place after being cast. Cao Urn stands alone in the first row in the center. The others stand in a straight line behind, with the shape of each one on the left corresponding to the one on the right, placed symmetrically to the central urn of Cao Urn, with the names Nhân, Chương, Anh, Nghị, Thuần, Tuyên, Dũ and Huyền. This set of Nine Dynastic Urns is a rare and precious cultural heritage, which is well-preserved in nearly perfect condition, upholding forever the legacy of a dynasty that ruled when Vietnam was unified and strong.

The Nine Dynastic Urns