Exhibition highlights art of Dong Son culture

At the exhibition (Photo: qdnd.vn)

Hanoi - An exhibition displaying objects related to the culture of Dong Son is being held at the Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts.

Art of Dong Son is co-organised by the museum and collector Nguyen Van Kinh to showcase 36 objects including historic bronze drums.

The Kinh Hoa bronze drum 1 and the Kinh Hoa bronze drum 2 were recorgnised as national treasures in 2020 and 2023.

Dong Son culture (dated from the seventh century BC to the first – second century AD) was part of the Metal Age in ancient Vietnam. It was named by archaeologists after the name of the village of Dong Son on the banks of the Ma River, Thanh Hoa city where a number of bronze items were accidentally discovered in 1924.

The Kinh Hoa bronze drum 1 has the batter head diameter of 89cm and the bottom head diameter of 98.5cm, and is 59.5cm in height. It dates from the 4th to 3rd century BC.

The batter head of the drum is decorated with a ten-pointed star in the centre symbolising the sun. It reflects the custom of wet rice farmers who worshipped the sun.

Images of horseshoe crabs can also be seen on the drum.

The Kinh Hoa 2 is the second-largest bronze drum of Dong Son culture. It has the batter head diameter of 100.6cm and bottom head diameter of 102cm, and is 72cm in height.

The largest one is the Sao Vang bronze drum which is housed at the Vietnam National Museum of History.

The typical motifs are often about the sun, traditional stilt houses, birds, people working in the fields, cattle raising, hunting, fishing and dancing, according to PhD in history Tong Trung Tin, Chairman of Vietnam Archaeology Association.

The drums are vivid historical pictures showing cultural life, beliefs, agricultural activities and the fine art of bronze casting of the ancient Vietnamese, said Tin.

Many other unique objects, including two bronze jars, are also on display. The jars are national treasures and are decorated with images of pelicans, warships and horseshoe crabs.

The common use of the jar was thought to be for storing precious goods because the jar is precious itself and these kinds of jars were not be used for storing ordinary items.

We highly appreciate Kinh's collection, the museum Director Nguyễn Anh Minh said the exhibition opening.

Hopefully, visitors will not only see the beauty of Dong Son culture's rare objects but also respect and feel the traditional culture sources that have been handed down from generation to generation.

The exhibition runs until February 18 at No. 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc street, Hanoi./.