According to the Center for Preservation of the Imperial Relics of Hue, the throne of the Nguyen Dynasty was crafted during the reign of King Gia Long (1802 – 1819) and continued to be used throughout the Nguyen era, spanning a total of 13 kings over 143 years. In 2015, the Prime Minister signed a decision to recognize the throne of the Nguyen Dynasty as a national treasure.
Rare National Treasure
Overview of the throne of the Nguyen Dynasty at the Thai Hoa Palace.
The throne currently preserved at the Hue Imperial Antiquities Museum.
After defeating the Tay Son Dynasty and other military forces, King Gia Long established the Nguyen Dynasty in 1802. Over the course of 143 years, the throne became a symbol of the dynasty’s power, passed down through 13 kings.
The throne is placed in the most prestigious position within the Thai Hoa Palace, where the king held court twice a month on the 1st and 15th days of the lunar calendar, and also where important court ceremonies were conducted (the king’s coronation, birthday celebrations, and audiences with ambassadors…).
According to heritage records, the throne measures 101 cm in height, 72 cm in width, and 87 cm in length. The base is 118 cm long, 90 cm wide, and 20 cm high. The throne is adorned with a magnificent gold-leaf canopy. All parts are made of wood, featuring decorative images of dragons symbolizing blessings, longevity, and good fortune.
Currently, the throne is still preserved in the Thai Hoa Palace, located within the Imperial City of Hue. The throne is not made entirely of gold but is crafted from wood that is lacquered and gilded. The throne of the ancient king was gilded in areas with intricate carvings. This decorative process is highly meticulous and requires skilled artisans.
Throughout the 143 years of the Nguyen Dynasty, the throne was restored once during the reign of King Khai Dinh (1916 – 1925). Upon ascending to the throne, he ordered a new canopy to be made for the throne, changing the material from silk to lacquered wood with exquisite carvings.
Currently in Hue, there are three thrones from the Nguyen dynasty being preserved, one in the Thai Hoa Palace, one at the Hue Imperial Antiquities Museum, and one at Trieu Mieu. The style and decoration of the three thrones are generally similar.
However, the difference lies in the backrest of the throne; the throne in Thai Hoa Palace features a rectangular wooden panel carved with a dragon, while the other two thrones have backs shaped like the sun.
Experts categorize the throne’s structure into three parts: upper, middle, and lower. The upper part features a sun motif combined with stylized cloud patterns. The middle part consists of the backrest and armrests, with the backrest showcasing two decorative motifs of longevity. The armrests on either side display two dragon figures facing forward in a cloud-treading posture.
The lower part is the base, adorned with swastika patterns, lotus petals, and the motif of two dragons worshipping the character for longevity on all four sides. At the bottom, each leg of the throne features a tiger’s face, with two side panels decorated with tiger motifs styled as “long-ham-tho,” and the other two panels depicting phoenix birds.
Unique Motifs Symbolizing Power
Thai Hoa Palace – where the Nguyen kings held court twice a month.
Notably, the most significant aspect of the Nguyen king’s throne is the sun motif and the two characters for “longevity” on the backrest. The character “longevity” at the top is bordered by vine-like leaf patterns reminiscent of leaves found on the steles of Confucian scholars. It notably resembles the leaf patterns on the golden chrysanthemum decorations on the Nguyen Dynasty’s crown system.
The character “longevity” at the bottom shows two stylized bats facing inward. Uniquely, the bats are stylized from chrysanthemum leaves – chrysanthemums transformed into bats. Researchers agree that the upper “longevity” is the motif of “chrysanthemum for longevity” symbolizing long life, while the lower “longevity” is the motif of “blessing and longevity.”
The sun motif is placed at the highest position. From this vantage point, when the king sits, the sun appears above his head like a radiant halo. Notably, the sun is combined with clouds in a harmonious design forming the shape of a throne.
This uniqueness is further expressed through the swirling patterns at the tips of the rays. Additionally, behind the rays are clouds shaped like flower petals, with two layers of varying sizes resembling two layers of petals. Overall, it resembles jewelry, representing both the sun and the chrysanthemums on the emperor’s crown in the Nguyen Dynasty.
However, many wonder what message the sun motif conveys in the throne’s decoration. Researchers believe that this is a form of honoring the correlation between the sun and the emperor’s position. This is similar to how Emperor Minh Mang chose characters from the character set 日 (rih: sun) as the era name for emperors upon their ascension to the throne.
Thus, although historical records of the Nguyen Dynasty do not mention the connection between the emperor and the sun, the motif on the throne and Emperor Minh Mang’s choice of characters from the 日 set indicate that in the Nguyen Dynasty, the sun was implicitly understood to symbolize the emperor.
Using the sun motif to represent imperial power is a common theme in history. The mother of Emperor Wu of Han (Han Dynasty) dreamed of the sun entering her womb and later gave birth to him. Furthermore, there is another piece of evidence related to this issue, which is the image of the sun at the tomb of Emperor Khai Dinh, depicted as setting, symbolizing the emperor’s passing.
The Bloodstained Throne
During the regency of two ministers, Nguyen Van Tuong and Ton That Thuyet, there were instances of 3 kings in 4 months.
| “During the Nguyen Dynasty, the capital housed some of the most skilled craftsmen specializing in crafting royal and court items. Therefore, the throne was completed locally and not made overseas. By the time of King Khai Dinh, he renovated the Thai Hoa Palace and had the canopy above the throne rebuilt.” – Researcher Phan Thuan An. |
The national treasure of the Nguyen Dynasty throne is one of the artifacts that “witnessed” the historical ups and downs of this dynasty over 143 years. According to researcher Phan Thuan An, the period of Nguyen independence lasted 56 years across four kings: Gia Long, Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, and Tu Duc.
In 1858, the French colonizers invaded and occupied, and the throne became bloodstained during struggles for the throne, such as the period of 3 kings in 4 months, yet no one moved the throne elsewhere.
The story of 3 kings in 4 months is the darkest period in Nguyen history, occurring after King Tu Duc’s passing. Due to the lack of an heir, the king adopted three nephews as sons. King Duc Duc was chosen to inherit the throne but demanded that the high-ranking officials omit unfavorable remarks about him from his father’s testament during the coronation on the throne.
Afterward, he was suggested to be deposed by the two regent ministers, Nguyen Van Tuong and Ton That Thuyet. Duc Duc reigned for only three days before being starved to death in prison. Following Duc Duc, Hiep Hoa, the 29th son of King Thieu Tri (a different mother than King Tu Duc), was elevated to the throne by Ton That Thuyet and Nguyen Van Tuong.
Legend has it that during the coronation ceremony, a black crow flew to perch on a tree in front of the Thai Hoa Palace, cawing four times. As a foreboding omen, the king held the throne for only four months before being executed per court customs for approving the decree to eliminate the aforementioned high-ranking officials.
After King Hiep Hoa, Ton That Thuyet and Nguyen Van Tuong decided to choose another adopted son of King Tu Duc, Prince Ung Dang, to inherit the throne. Having witnessed two consecutive deaths, the prince was terrified when the two ministers came to bring him back to the capital to become king at just 15 years old, taking the reign name Kien Phuc. Despite being king, Kien Phuc always felt a sense of fear while sitting on the throne. This anxiety eventually led to his illness and death just eight months later.
Among the 13 kings of the Nguyen Dynasty, only King Dong Khanh ascended to the throne not through hereditary succession or elevation by the court. He actively sought support from the French and was placed on the throne by the French colonizers.
Hue researcher Phan Thuan An noted that the king sat on the throne placed in the center of the Thai Hoa Palace. Inside the palace, only the four main officials and royal relatives were allowed to meet the king. Other officials lined up according to their ranks indicated by small stone tablets placed on the ground, following the principle that civil officials stood on the left and military officials on the right.
After the August Revolution’s success, President Ho Chi Minh issued a decree requiring localities to preserve relics and treasures left by previous generations and forbidding their destruction. Following historical upheavals, the throne remained undisturbed in the Thai Hoa Palace.
According to researcher Phan Thuan An, historically, the people of Hue never dared to take even a single tile or brick from the Imperial Palace for personal use. From the end of the Nguyen Dynasty until the period of national division, no one dared to sacrilegiously sit on the throne or violate any items.
