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Dr. Phan Thanh Hai
The “Hoàng Đế Chi Bảo” (Treasure of the Emperor) Imperial Seal is the biggest gold seal of the Nguyen Dynasty. Commissioned by Emperor Minh Mang exactly 200 years ago, it survived the reigns of 12 Nguyen Dynasty emperors and witnessed many ups and downs of Vietnamese history from pre-modern to modern times.
Through its 150-year history, the Nguyen Dynasty had over 100 seals made from precious materials such as gold, silver, jade, and ivory – and even from meteorites. However, the Treasure of the Emperor Imperial Seal is superior in many aspects, not only because of its size, material, and aesthetics, but also the mission bestowed upon it.
When the seal was cast, the following details were recorded in the Đại Nam Thực Lục (Veritable Records of the Great South, volume 6, translation by the Institute of History, Social Sciences Publishing House, 1963, pg. 146): “The Treasure of the Emperor seal was cast on the day of Giap Thin, the knob in the shape of a coiling dragon, resting on a two-tiered square platform, each side measuring 3 tấc 2 phân (traditional Vietnamese measurement units), and 5 phân in thickness. The seal is cast in 10-carat gold, weighing 280 lượng, 9 đồng, 2 phân.” Converted to the current measurement system, each side of the seal’s square base measures 12.8cm in length, and 2cm in thickness.
The square seal’s handle is in the shape of a coiling dragon with its head held high, and its eyes looking straight ahead. The top of the dragon’s head is engraved with the word “王” (King), the scales on its back stand erect, and the tail is also erect, with scales that curl forward. The dragon has five claws on each of its four legs and stands firmly on the base of the seal. The underside of the seal is engraved with four characters that read: “Treasure of the Emperor”. Two lines are embossed on two sides of the handle on the seal’s base, which translate to: “Cast at an auspicious hour on the fourth day of the second month of the fourth year under Emperor Minh Mang’s reign (March 16, 1823),” and “Cast in gold, weighing 280 lạng 9 chỉ 2 phân (equivalent to 10.78kg).”
According to the regulations of the Nguyen Dynasty, the Treasure of the Emperor Seal served a highly important function, and was only used when: “…conducting a ceremony of grace, granting amnesty to the people or lecturing members of the royal family, or patrolling places to inspect localities, conducting all formal ceremonies, and issuing edicts and letters to foreign countries.” The seal symbolized the power of the emperor, who ruled over all men, so it was only used to stamp documents of great importance to the State’s internal and external affairs.
Emperor Minh Mang, who ascended the throne in 1820 and died in 1841, was the greatest emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty. He was a man of great vision and profound knowledge. As the successor of Emperor Gia Long, Emperor Minh Mang had issued and drastically implemented many policies to consolidate the national administration and culture, including fashion culture. He mandated the wearing of the five-paneled ao dai throughout the country and turned it into the national dress of the Vietnamese people, organized doctoral exams to select men of talent, placed a focus on the development of agriculture and transportation, consolidated the military, expanded the nation’s territory, and developed diplomatic relations, turning Vietnam into a power in the region. Under his reign, the Nguyen Dynasty commissioned the casting and creation of 14 gold and jade seals, each with its own functions, all of which are highly valuable. It is fortunate to the point of miraculous that all 14 seals survived major historic turbulence and remain in existence, with 13 currently preserved at the Vietnam National Museum of History. The “Hoàng Đế Chi Bảo” (Treasure of the Emperor) Imperial Seal has had a special fate, as it was brought to Hanoi from the former capital of Hue, then made its way to France, and was eventually returned to its motherland.
This precious seal’s fascinating adventure
On the afternoon of August 30, 1945, on the platform of the second floor of Ngu Phung Pavilion, Ngo Mon Gate, in front of 200,000 people of Thua Thien Hue, whose revolutionary spirit was boiling in their blood, the last emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty handed over the sword and seal symbolizing imperial power to representatives of the Revolutionary Government. Those items were none other than the Treasure of the Emperor Seal and a sword created during Emperor Khai Dinh’s rule. On behalf of the Revolutionary Government, Mr. Tran Huy Lieu received the sword and the seal and affixed the citizen badge of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to the former emperor. The following day, the sword and seal were transported to Hanoi to be present at the ceremony of independence on September 2, 1945. When the French returned to invade the Capital of Hanoi, the unit tasked with preserving the sword and seal hid these treasures in a house in Nghia Do near West Lake, before retreating to Viet Bac at the end of 1946. In an unfortunate turn of events, not long after, French soldiers raided Nghia Do village and discovered the sword and seal. On March 8, 1952, the French held a formal ceremony in Hanoi to hand over the sword and seal to Bao Dai, who at the time held the title of Chief-of-state.
Năm 1953, để bảo vệ cho bộ ấn kiếm trên được an toàn, cựu hoàng Bảo Đại đã ủy quyền cho bà Mộng Điệp mang sang Pháp, trao cho hoàng hậu Nam Phương và thái tử Bảo Long. Năm 1963, sau khi bà Nam Phương mất, ông Bảo Long quản lý bộ ấn kiếm này và đã gửi chúng tại két sắt của Ngân hàng châu Âu (Union des Banques Européennes). Ngày 31/07/1997, cựu hoàng Bảo Đại qua đời, chiếc ấn Hoàng Đế Chi Bảo thuộc về bà Monique Marie Eugene Baudot, người vợ cuối cùng có hôn thú với cựu Hoàng. Ngày 27/09/2021, bà Baudot mất, tin tức về chiếc ấn vàng tưởng chừng chìm vào quên lãng…
In 1953, in order to keep the treasures safe, the former emperor entrusted Madame Mong Diep to bring them to France and give them to Queen Nam Phuong and Crown Prince Bao Long. In 1963, following Nam Phuong’s death, the sword and seal came into the possession of Bao Long, who kept them in a safe at the Union des Banques Européennes (European Banking Union). On July 31, 1997, Bao Dai passed away. The Treasure of the Emperor gold seal came into the possession of Monique Marie Eugene Baudot, the last wife of the former emperor. On September 27, 2021, Madame Baudot passed away. The gold seal then seemed to vanish.
In early October 2022, the Millon auction house in Paris, France, announced it would put the Treasure of the Emperor Imperial Seal up for public auction on October 31 of the same year. The public and press in Vietnam paid particular attention to this news. With the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Vietnamese Ambassador to the French Republic, Mr. Nguyen The Hong, an antiques collector with a private museum in Bac Ninh, successfully negotiated a deal to purchase the seal without having to bid for it at auction. In line with this plan, after completing legal procedures, the precious seal was brought back to Vietnam at the beginning of June, 2023.
Thus, after 70 years of being lost in a foreign land, the Treasure of the Emperor Imperial Seal, which remains one of the most significant artifacts from Vietnam’s time as a feudal monarchy, has returned to its homeland. It is one of a small collection of National Treasures with historical and cultural values that must be protected and preserved for future generations. The fact that Mr. Nguyen The Hong, with the support of State agencies, successfully bought back a prized Vietnamese treasure from abroad has opened up a new direction for the repatriation of antiquities. Every individual and organization in the private and public sector can take part in this meaningful endeavor.
