Vietnam, Nguyen Dynasty, reign of Bao Dai (1932-1945) - Lot 41

Vietnam, Nguyen Dynasty, reign of Bao Dai (1932-1945) Long Bao" dress with wide yellow silk sleeves, lined with orange silk, embroidered with polychrome and gold threads. It is tied on the right side with two yellow silk ribbons (tùy luu) (color reserved for the Emperor), tied at the front to the collar. Created on yellow silk fashioned from polychrome silk threads (monochrome blue, shades of coral and pink, green, beige) and gold thread, the decoration is vividly revealed, the colors bursting with freshness. On the chest, a dragon, unfurled among clouds in the shape of a ruyi, faces the sacred pearl encircled by flames. Embellished with gold thread, it flies over the Thô character, a symbol of longevity. Two other dragons emerge from the foaming waves. They surround the three mountain peaks, a symbol found on Chinese imperial robes, and seem to support the longevity character. Other dragons, on sleeves and shoulders, evolve among bats, peonies, peaches, and the eight Buddhist emblems confirm the Chinese confection intended for the imperial wardrobe. Each element here refers to symbols of longevity, protection and auspiciousness. They highlight the emperor's central place in the celestial hierarchy. Present on the chest, back, shoulders and arms, the dragon plays a prominent role in the Long Bao decoration, symbolizing protection for the emperor. Vietnam, influenced by its Chinese neighbor, has long attributed to the dragon an essential role associated with that of the sovereign, guarantor of celestial order on earth. The link between the people of Vietnam and the dragon is even closer and older, as the ancient Hong Bang dynasty (8th-3rd century BC) considered the kings to be "of the dragon race". Altered collar and wear, one of the dragon's eyes is slightly missing. H. 145 cm - L. 240 cm. Provenance : H.R.H. Princess Phương Dung Kept in Vietnam, then in France by descent. The dress was the subject of an exhibition "L'Envol du Dragon" at the Musée National des Arts Asiatiques Guimet, from July 9 to September 15, 2014. Bao Dai biography Nguyen Phuc Vinh Thuy, known as Bao Dai, "Guardian of Greatness" (1913-1997) Bao Dai was born on October 22, 1913 in the imperial citadel of Hué, Vietnam. The only son of Emperor Khai Dinh and Queen Mother Tu Cung, he was the thirteenth and last emperor of the Nguyen dynasty founded by Nguyen Phuc Anh, better known by his reigning name, Gia Long (1802-1820). Bao Dai was crowned Emperor of Annam shortly after his father's death in 1926. In a complex geopolitical context, he finally abdicated in 1945, under pressure from the Viet Minh, who said "It is better to be a citizen of an independent country than a king of a slave country". He returned to power in 1949 as Head of State, before being definitively removed from political responsibilities in 1955, overthrown by his Prime Minister. He then went into exile in France, where he led a relatively discreet life, distancing himself from Vietnamese politics. Bao Dai married Marie Thérèse Nguyen Huu Thi Lan in 1934, and she became Empress Nam Phuong, a title no woman had ever received before in the country's history. The Emperor died in Paris in 1997, bringing to an end a life marked by the complexities of twentieth-century Vietnamese history.