MEANING OF THE ELEPHANT SPOUT BRONZE KETTLE DISPLAYED AT THE HANOI MUSEUM

[Update at]: 08/09/2024 - 01:41:02

The Hanoi Museum is now home to more than 70,000 documents and artefacts, including over 20,000 metal artefacts, which are diverse in form and type.

The elephant spout bronze kettle is a rare, almost unique artefact kept at the Hanoi Museum metal warehouse, a valuable historical source of bronze casting art with a unique design compared to traditional bronze kettles. With embossed decorations, the mascot is unique and full of aesthetic qualities, demonstrating creativity in Vietnamese folk art.

The kettle was excavated in June 1972 in an ancient tomb at Ngoc Gia mound, Ngoc Hoa commune, Chuong My district, Hanoi. It is dated to the first—third centuries and registered number BTHN 7337/KL 800. The kettle is 15 cm in size and has the dimensions: Height: 28.5cm; Width: 25cm; Diameter: 9.5cm. This kettle is a typical artefact selected for the permanent display of the Hanoi Museum.

The kettle is slim and has a wide base. The kettle's body is spherical, with a wide mouth and vertical edges, clearly divided into two parts, and the lid closes tightly. The kettle's lid resembles a fully blooming lotus flower with round stamens spread out around two rows of lotus petals, and each row has eight lotus petals. Each lotus petal has a curved tip and a groove that divides the petals into symmetrical parts. In the centre of the stamen, there is a small round knob with a hole. From both sides of the kettle's mouth, it curves in an elliptical shape to create its handle. The handle is oval-shaped, a variation of the dragon flanking the pot's mouth. The dragon has a long beard, its body has round scales like fish scales, and in the middle of the handle hangs a round hook with a hole in the middle. The kettle's base is a lotus flower fully blooming on the water's surface. The kettle is generally shaped meticulously and interestingly, with the art of stylization to the highest level, giving the kettle a strange and special shape.The unique design of the bronze kettle with the elephant spout brings elements of Han culture combined with the image of the elephant - a typical animal of Vietnamese culture. On the kettle, the elephant's spout has artistic depictions of animals that are incredibly vivid and excellent in a realistic style. From the Dong Son culture, about two thousand years ago, people found elephants in the Vac Village site (Nghe An) as the base for a lamp. Elephants were also shown on Dong Son bronze drums., on the handle of a bronze dagger with an elephant statue in Dai Loc district (Quang Nam). Elephant trunks also appear in graphic form, and brown flower vases depict warriors riding elephants and horses into battle in the period's culture. Ly-Tran, Early Le and Le Trung Hung Dynasties, and elephants appeared in ceramics, bronze, and stone.The elephant image on the kettle has a symbolic meaning; the Elephant is read as "tuong" in Chinese, synonymous with "thua tuong" (prime minister). The Elephant is one of four mascots that symbolize strength, prudence, energy, and sound judgment, all of which are virtuous and talented leadership qualities.The Elephant has become a close friend, a symbol of wealth and prosperity, the embodiment of the strength and wealth of the ancient chiefs. The ancients believed that the Elephant was the foremost animal among wild animals, an animal that symbolized the authority, material, and spiritual strength of each nation and village.In the first Vietnamese legend, the Nine-Tusked Elephant is mentioned, which was the bride price that the Hung King required when Son Tinh and Thuy Tinh proposed to Mi Nuong. History books mentioning elephants and Elephant taming date back to when the Trung sisters fought against the Han army, and Ba Trieu used elephants to fight the Ngo army. During the reign of Quang Trung, the Elephant was one of the warriors who helped defeat Lord Trinh, suppress Lord Nguyen, and defeat the Qing and Siamese armies.In Buddhism, the Elephant symbolises the power of consciousness, one of the seven treasures, and a sacred mascot. Elephants can bring luck and financial success to the family and are admired for their intelligence, strength, and great dignity. They have both human and divine qualities, so for Eastern people, elephants are a common symbol of luck, worshipped and honoured.