National treasure: An Dan sword - symbol of King Khai Dinh's authority

The An Dan sword and specially designed military uniform often appeared with King Khai Dinh in political events, tours, and inspections in localities as well as to France.

Back from storage after half a century

The national treasure An Dan Sword was not very beautiful when it was received by the Vietnam History Museum (now the National History Museum) in 2007. At that time, after being stored in the State Bank's warehouse, which did not have the conditions to preserve it, the sword had deteriorated. The wood and tortoiseshell of a part of the scabbard were damaged, rotten, and could not be restored. The blade was rusted and had small chips. However, the entire hilt and the gold inlaid on the scabbard were still quite intact. In 2008 - 2009, the museum treated the corrosion and rust on the blade; added some stones to the missing positions on the hilt, and restored the damaged wood and tortoiseshell on the scabbard.

The content cast on the hilt of the sword confirms that the An Dan Sword was created during the reign of Khai Dinh (1916 - 1925). The photo taken in 1916 (provided by the Association des Amis du Vieux Hue - AAVH) also shows the image of Emperor Khai Dinh in a winter uniform in the style of a French officer, with his hands supporting the An Dan Sword. From there, it is possible to determine the creation date of the An Dan Sword, which took place around the end of the first year of Khai Dinh - 1916. In 1945, King Bao Dai abdicated and handed over the seal and sword to the delegation of representatives of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, including Mr. Tran Huy Lieu, Nguyen Luong Bang and Cu Huy Can. All the assets of the royal dynasty, including the An Dan Sword, were also handed over to the revolutionary government. The inventory of the assets, including this sword, was conducted by Mr. Pham Khac Hoe. The person representing the Provisional Revolutionary Government to verify the assets was Minister of Labor Le Van Hien.

In 1946, when the whole country was at war, the collection of treasures, including the An Dan Sword, was put into storage. In 1954, the Ministry of Finance took over the collection. In 1959, the swords were handed over to the Vietnam History Museum for storage. In 1962, the museum sent the collection to the State Bank for storage under a special regime. For nearly half a century, the collection was completely sealed, and very few people knew about its existence. Once a year, the museum sent a responsible person to the bank's warehouse to check the seals. In 2007, the museum received the treasures back after upgrading the special storage warehouse. According to Dr. Pham Quoc Quan, former Director of the National History Museum, in the museum's collection of Nguyen Dynasty royal treasures, there are many swords, but the An Dan Sword is the only sword with a specific name. This sword, along with the military uniform that Emperor Khai Dinh requested to be designed specifically for him, often appeared alongside the king in political events, tours, inspections in localities as well as a trip to France to attend the Colonial Fair in Marseille (France) in 1922. That clearly proves that the An Dan Sword was the sword used by Emperor Khai Dinh throughout his reign.

Sự tinh xảo của kiếm — *The finesse of the sword*

French - Vietnamese cultural exchange

Comparing the swords in museums also shows that the An Dan sword has a unique form. For example, the Thai A sword of King Gia Long (French Army Museum in Paris) is also cast in the shape of a dragon head like the An Dan sword, but the two dragon heads have many differences. The handle of the Thai A sword is only decorated with embossed chrysanthemum leaves and is inlaid with small coral and agate beads, while the An Dan sword is decorated on both sides, with a 5-petal flower in full bloom in the middle, and a spherical stone attached to the pistil. The An Dan sword blade is left plain, but the hilt is elaborately decorated and has a shield, while the handle of the Thai A sword is inlaid with white jade and bordered with gold threads... According to the National History Museum, the An Dan sword is a symbol of power and authority of Emperor Khai Dinh, with a form and design similar to French and Western swords in the 18th - 19th century, but has been innovated and decorated in the style of the Nguyen Dynasty's royal art. The decorative motifs on the sword are all traditional motifs, closely associated with the status and background of the Nguyen Dynasty kings, such as the image of a five-clawed dragon, a daisy, the image of the sun, scattered clouds or a square-headed S-shaped inscription... These decorative motifs are also found in abundance in the Hue Imperial City or the tombs of the Nguyen Dynasty kings in Thua Thien-Hue. The national treasure dossier assesses: "It can be said that, from the artistic inspiration based on French sword models, Emperor Khai Dinh designed his sword with distinct features, both accepting the mark of the new era, influenced by French art, and preserving the traditional, classical values of the Nguyen Dynasty court, skillfully integrating them to create a unique sword, reflecting the traditional handicraft art in the style of the Nguyen Dynasty court." ( continued )

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bao-vat-quoc-gia-bao-kiem-an-dan-bieu-tuong-quyen-uy-cua-vua-khai-dinh-185240510211544723.htm