Ceramic boots and other masterpieces from Bat Trang Museum featured on Google Arts & Culture
10/07/2024 – Starting today, over 30 artifacts from the Bat Trang Museum can be viewed online by art lovers around the world on Google Arts & Culture, thanks to the partnership between Google and the museum. Visitors of this virtual exhibition will be able to explore the 12 iconic ceramic boots by National Artist Vu Thang and many other treasures. All are only a few clicks away, at Bat Trang Museum page on Google Arts & Culture.
Digital exhibit
Virtual exhibits have been specifically developed and expertly curated for online visitors so that they can discover not only more than 30 artifacts but also a multitude of stories on the local cultures. Through the plethora of otherwise-unseen photos of Bat Trang by local photographer Lam Truc Quynh (LTQ), the digital exhibition offers a narrative on the history, the people, the crafts and the architecture of Bat Trang Pottery Village. The most remarkable story here is of the Late National Artist Vu Thang, who, in his almost 50-year-long career, is renowned for his signature mastery of the ceramic embellishing and glaze layering techniques that give his works unparalleled depth and soul. Additionally, Google Arts & Culture also features Bat Trang Museum’s very first and original exhibition – The Bat Trang Ceramic Boots (2022).
The most notable items in the online exhibition are:
● The Boots
An elegant collection of 12 high-heels ceramic boots crafted using a variety of materials and adorned with a myriad of colors. Each boot was individually handcrafted, shaped in the image of a modern boot but embellished with traditional patterns, thus creating a unique concept. It took six months of meticulous work for Vu Duc Thang to complete each pair of boots.
● The Ceramic Bird Cages
Two ceramic bird cages, one closed and the other opened with the birds standing outside to represent freedom and liberty. The artwork was handcrafted and took a month to complete. The cage’s thin strips are skillfully shaped and glazed to look like real bamboo slats. In the kiln at 1,250°C, the slats looked as soft as noodles. Once off the fire, they settled into a natural but fascinating shape, thus highlighting the concept of the initial work, giving birth to an artwork that is both beautiful and meaningful is the ultimate grace for the Artisan.
● The Vases with Embossed Dragons
This artwork was created to celebrate the 1,000th Anniversary of Thang Long, Hanoi. A captivating heritage of Vietnam’s history and culture, the Thang Long Imperial Citadel was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. Representing power and nobility in Vietnamese culture, the dragon was chosen as the unique symbol of emperors. This striking pair of ceramic vases embodies this concept, with embossed dragons guarding the mouth of the vases. On each vase’s body, other famous Hanoi landmarks and historical battles are embossed to represent the country’s rich history.
● The Pots of Landscapes
The collection depicts landmarks across three regions. The larger one features six famous landscapes of Vietnam in a form of North – South journey. They feature the Temple of Literature, the Sword Lake, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Hung Temple, Hue’s Citadel, and the Ben Thanh Market. It also includes the Vinh Quy Bai To – a traditional ceremony held in celebration of high scholarly achievements, specifically involving the pupils returning to their place of origin in order to pay respect to their relatives, ancestors and teachers. Beautiful scenes of noble culture and idyllic images of Vietnamese villages are skillfully expressed through the carvings on ceramic and highlighted with colorful layers of glaze to create a sense of depth. This unique technique shows the artisan’s creativity in transforming traditional ceramic materials.
Vu Khanh Tung – Director of Bat Trang Museum said: Bat Trang Museum is honored to be the latest museum in Vietnam to be featured by Google Arts & Culture. We hope the stories of Bat Trang as well as the ceramics village’s heritage, alongside the many one-of-a-kind masterpieces and the unique ceramics making style of Vu Thang will reach and inspire all lovers of the ceramic arts in Vietnam, as well as all around the world.
About Bat Trang Museum
Founded by the late National Artist Vu Thang, the Bat Trang Museum of Viet Soul Art (Bảo Tàng Nghệ Thuật Hồn Đất Việt Bát Tràng) is the first government-licensed private museum in Bat Trang ceramic village, Hanoi, Vietnam since 2016. The museum offers an extraordinary collection of traditional Bat Trang ceramic spanning from the 18th-19th to the early 20th century. The repertoire comprises pieces meticulously collected by the late National Artist Vu Thang and many of his unique works created during his 50-year-long career.
About Google Arts & Culture
Google Arts & Culture puts the treasures, stories and knowledge of over 3.000 cultural institutions from 80 countries at your fingertips. If Google’s mission is to make the world’s information more accessible, then Arts & Culture’s mission is to make the world’s culture accessible to anyone, anywhere. It’s your doorway to explore art, history, and wonders of the world. Discover stories about cultural heritage ranging from Van Gogh’s bedroom paintings, Puerto Rico’s heritage, Sports in Australia or the women’s right movement to ancient Maya temples, Japanese Food and Indian Railways.
