“The Elephant and the Lotus: Vietnamese Ceramics in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston” is a book that was published by the MFA in 2008. It contains essays by Philippe Truong on Vietnamese ceramics and Vietnamese national identity. The text is accompanied by color photographs of the 200 individual works that make up this important component of the MFA’s holdings, the widest and deepest collection of Vietnamese ceramics in North America.
If you want to see the real thing, make the trip to the MFA and visit Gallery 176. There, in a quiet, darkened room, two large cases are shelved with a delightful ensemble of objects. This display represents only about 10 percent of the entire collection – think of all the treasures yet to be seen here.
Vietnamese pottery and ceramics are sourced by the excellent clays and have a long history. A gallery wall label reads: “Vietnam’s glazed ceramics tradition was the most sophisticated in Southeast Asia—and the most prolific, spanning the 3rd to 19th centuries. The Red River Delta area and provinces around Hanoi in northern Vietnam were the major sites of production. Their fine white and gray clays provided material for stoneware of extremely high quality.”
Of course, the craftsmanship is superb, but what sets these objects apart is a certain casual quality to the finish – and a bit of whimsy (zoomorphic designs are common). The exhibit presents several examples of zoomorphic shaped wares.
The elephant is indigenous to Vietnam, and the elephant motif is repeated often. On display is “Ewer with Elephant-Head Spout,” from the Han-Viet period, 1st-3rd century. A hand-modeled elephant’s head, with its trunk serving as the spout, this vessel is stoneware with ash glaze; modeled, incised, and with applied decoration. A quote from the catalog reads:
“In Vietnam, numerous ewers with elephant-head spouts have been recovered from burials. Bronze vessels that served as prototypes for these ceramics have also been excavated. The vitrified drops of greenish glaze simulate the green patina of archaic bronzes, revealing that these ceramics were designed as substitutes for more costly bronze funerary objects.”
“Ewer in the Shape of a Fish and a Shrimp” dates to the Tran-Le dynasties, 14th-15th century. A high, straight spout rises from the mouth of the fish and is supported by the shrimp, this vessel is stoneware with yellow green glaze; molded, incised, and with painted decoration. The catalog reads:
“This pouring vessel, in the shape of a shrimp atop a carp, is another variation on the legendary theme of the metamorphosis of the carp into a dragon. During the 15th century, Vietnamese potters found inspiration in the animal world to create vessels of unsurpassed imaginative shapes.”
One other naturalistic motif featured a bird: “Jar with Bird in Various Stages of Flight,” Le dynasty, 15th century. This jar falls into the category of Blue-and-White Wares; stoneware with underglaze cobalt blue decoration of chích chòe and trees. The catalog contained the following excerpts:
“The main register has extremely minute painted details with the chích chòe (Oriental Magpie Robin) depicted in various stages of flight, which creates the illusion of life. This bird is a typical motif commonly used on blue-and-white-wares, but never shown as it is here. The splendid and rare decoration makes this jar one of the most outstanding examples of Vietnamese blue-and-white ceramics.”
The MFA’s Vietnamese ceramic collection was started 60 years ago with eight pieces donated by Charles Brian Hoyt. Some important purchases have been made by MFA curators since Hoyt’s gift. Additional gifts or promised gifts of Vietnamese ceramics are from Dr. John D. Constable, a reconstructive surgeon whose medical work in Vietnam beginning in the 1970s instilled in him a deep respect for the country and its people.
Considering the number of Vietnamese people now living in Massachusetts, the continued exhibition of this collection is an especially valuable asset, providing a bridge that helps to make vital connections across time and cultures. We are fortunate that the MFA is able to utilize its unique position as an encyclopedic museum to bring together and honor people of various cultures and wisdom traditions who live in or are visiting the US.
Spotlight Talks on Vietnamese ceramics can be arranged by contacting MFA Group Tours. Go to: mfa.org/programs/gallery-activities-and-tours/gallery-tours.
Wednesday nights are free at the MFA after 5 p.m. and until 9:45 p.m., an ideal time to enjoy the exhibit.
