The perseverance and meticulousness in the gold-and-silver-gold business of Kieu Ky (Hanoi) have created thin gold leaves, inlaid with traditional objects with high aesthetic. On March 9, the 300-year-old gold and silver mallow profession was recognized as a National Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.
The gold-silver anemone profession in Kieu Ky village (Kieu Ky commune, Gia Lam, Hanoi city) has a history of over 300 years. The ingenious techniques of life make the people here famous throughout the region through delicate gold-plated products such as worshiping articles, ceramics …
Start with pure gold, then cut thinly, cut into squares of 1cm each. The most commonly used gold is “4 number 9” gold. This is just the first step for the process of laminated gold.
Diep (gold) is bundled into a set, then beaten with a hammer for about 40 minutes (beat it). From the square 1cm-square-side, 1cm2 area becomes thin gold leaves, with sides 4cm and an area of about 16cm2.
Previous practice tools were very simple, the elderly Kieu Ky village elders only need to carry a hammer, a tray (tools) to work everywhere, rich families hire Kieu Ky to make worship clothes. Inlaid gold can sometimes be completed for the whole year.
Previously, the gold lamination had to go through 40 stages, now it is shortened to just over 20 stages. Litmus leaves have 4cm long edges are cocooned from do paper (Dong Ho picture paper) thin and tough, “glided” many times with homemade ink made of special soot, mixed with buffalo skin glue, making litmus paper durable sure.
A good craftsman can break half a thin sheet of gold into 500 gold leaves 4cm on each side. To have a golden kneel, the worker has to beat for about 40 minutes continuously.
The “cut the line” and “turn to gold” must be done in a closed room, do not use a fan because the gold after kneeling is very thin, just a light breeze can blow the gold leaves.
Gold after being laminated (kneeling) is used to make gold for the Buddha statues, worshiping suits, jars … The gold leaves are so thin that they can breathe strongly, fly, or break.
Because the gold foil is so thin that strong breathing can also fly away, the gold plating must be done in a closed room, so that falling gold dust will be collected for reuse.
A finished product after being inlaid with gold by the hand of the Kieu Ky craftsman. On March 9, the Kieu Ky gold-and-silver-kneeling profession was recognized as a National Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Nowadays, Kieu Ky village can inlaid gold on many types of surfaces, from wood, ceramics … and many other types are more difficult than before. Low-end products were not inlaid with gold anemones made by Kieu.
Inlaid gold on ceramics undergoes many stages. First primer, then “hold” paint over the primer, paste gold, finally the golden beam. In the photo is the priming process on porcelain vase.
In the photo is the process of pasting gold on porcelain jars after being primed. The ancestor of Kieu Ky is Nguyen Quy Tri, a native of Hoi Xuyen village, Lieu Trai commune, Hai Duong province. Once, he went to China to learn the craft of inlaid with gold and silver to paint and paint with gold of worshiping objects, wontons, sentences …
Returning home, he passed on the job to the villagers of Kieu Ky, then left where no one knew where to find his whereabouts. To commemorate his merit, the villagers of Kieu Ky have worshiped Nguyen Quy Tri as the Patriarch of gold and silver kneeling and took the day of his departure (August 17th of the lunar calendar) as the annual anniversary of the Patriarch’s death anniversary.
Previously, the golden kneeling profession was quite prosperous, Kieu Ky provided gold kneel for most of the imperial religious works to inlaid Buddha statues, thrones, diaphragms, couplets, processions and lacquer paintings … Presently, Kieu Ky still has many people dedicated to the profession, developing a large production and business model and expanding the market. Follow Dân trí