Visitors view Bát Tràng ancient pottery artifacts that are exhibited at Vietnam National Museum of History. Photo courtesy of the museum

HÀ NỘI — A unique collection of Bát Tràng pottery artefacts dating from the 14th to the 20th century are being introduced to the public at the Việt Nam National Museum of History.

The exhibition presents 39 pottery artefacts preserved at the museum with high artistic values, representative glazes and styles of each period of pottery development in Việt Nam.

The artefacts are displayed in four sections – an overview of the history of the formation of Bát Tràng Pottery Village, Bát Tràng pottery artefacts in the 14th century, Bát Tràng pottery artefacts in the 15th to the 18th centuries, and pottery in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Nguyễn Văn Đoàn, Director of the museum, said: "Bát Tràng pottery, with its long history and unique cultural heritage, has become a subject of research and collection by the museum over many periods.

“Through this exhibition, the museum hopes to introduce to the public a collection of pottery with high historical, cultural and artistic value, thereby helping the public better understand and appreciate the traditional cultural values, as well as to raise awareness of preservation and promotion of the national cultural and historical values,” he noted.

According to him, Bát Tràng Pottery Village has produced many precious pottery items with unique colours and styles that have been popular for centuries, from domestic use to the imperial court, from worship items to diplomatic gifts.

The pottery items on display are selected according to each period of Bát Tràng's development. The 14th century was a prosperous period for Bát Tràng pottery due to its open trade policies. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the village became a specialised production centre of high-quality artistic and technical products that were sold both domestically and exported. At the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century, Bát Tràng pottery still had a significant domestic market for household items, worship items, decorative items, and bricks.

An 18th-century pottery worship item decorated with dragon and lion patterns is exhibited at Việt Nam National Museum of History. Photo courtesy of the museum

"This exhibition also shows that Bát Tràng Village is a living museum of Vietnamese pottery history."

The exhibition runs at the museum, No 1 Tràng Tiền Street, until September 2023. VNS