Welcoming the new year Giap Thin 2024, at this time, a series of products bearing the image of the dragon mascot have been launched on the market to serve the needs of Tet shopping and as gifts.
Among them, the most notable is the gold-painted dragon seal product made from ceramics from a factory in Bat Trang craft village (Gia Lam, Hanoi).
Gold-painted dragon seals cost 8-12 million VND and are produced by a ceramic factory in Bat Trang.
Mr. Nguyen Van Luc, the unit that came up with the idea and ordered the artisans to make this product, said that this year’s main product is a gold-painted dragon seal inspired by the “Emperor’s treasure” seal – a treasure. newly repatriated to our country from France in 2023.
In addition, this year’s dragon seal is also shaped based on the inspiration from the Le Dynasty dragon at Kinh Thien Palace – Thang Long Imperial Citadel.
The gold-painted dragon seals are hand-painted by artisans in Bat Trang Pottery Village.
Mr. Pham Viet Khoa, owner of the pottery workshop in Bat Trang, said that up to now, he has had nearly 40 years of experience with the ceramic profession. These days are the busiest days of the year for the pottery factory to rush to complete orders for customers.
To complete a gold-painted dragon seal, it takes 24 stages and requires experience and high technique.
The first and most important step, which requires skill and meticulousness in every small detail, is shaping.
Every small detail is molded and engraved entirely by hand by potters, creating a unique mark. After the workpiece is completed and glazed, it will be fired for about 5 days before being painted gold.
The painter will use 24K gold painting solution to decorate the product. Each dragon product will be painted in about 2.5-3 hours.
On average, each painter will complete 4-6 products/day.
After finishing the gold painting stage, the pottery continues to be fired a second time for about 6-8 hours.
After that, it takes 14 hours for the product to cool and do the next steps.
The finished product has the brightness and shine of ceramic combined with gold, along with delicate hand-painted patterns.
“On the 3 sides of the product there are 3 words: An – Thuan – Phat, the other side is sculpted with a scene of a carp turning into a dragon, showing transformation, superiority, moving into the new year with many new fortunes”, Mr. Luc said.
Each product has a certificate of ownership of the work.
According to Mr. Luc, this collection is called “Sacred Dragon Mark” with the meaning of a milestone, marking a new era, entering a new phase of prosperity.
Each dragon seal is being sold for 8-12 million VND depending on version and color.
These days, Mr. Khoa’s ceramic workshop has 4 workers working continuously, many days they have to work overtime to complete orders for customers.