Beyond the tube architecture itself, the interior embellishments of 87 Ma May Street house encapsulate exceptional Vietnamese artistry and ornamentation. Exploring the well-preserved timber merchant home in Hanoi’s Old Quarter provides a glimpse into sophisticated heritage handicrafts through carved panels, lacquered furnishings, decorative mosaics, and hand-painted details. These ornate accents convey creativity elevating modest spaces while exhibiting mastery of materials and motifs. The elegant adornments contribute profoundly to the heritage value.
Intricately Carved Wood Cabinetry and Screens
Foremost, elaborate wood cabinetry exemplifies supreme Vietnamese carpentry techniques rarely intact today. Carvers transformed timber into intricate latticework partitions, rosette motifs, and figurative tableaus without nails or glue. Geometric and nature designs demonstrate principles of order and beauty within Confucian style. The deep hand carving craftsmanship amazes.
Mosaic Tiles with Symbolic Pottery Shards
Small ceramic shards get creatively arranged into mosaic friezes embellishing architecture, altars, and furniture. Tiny porcelain fragments from broken bowls, vases and tiles recycle unneeded material into new purpose. Resulting imagery incorporates village scenes, natural motifs and Chinese calligraphy. Mosaic techniques reflect resourcefulness elevating fragments into fine art.
precious ceramic teacup
Lacquered Wood Surfaces
The glossy black lacquered sheen gracing altar tables, chests and chairs provides durable waterproofing and lustrous beauty. Vietnamese artisans perfected multi-layered lacquer coating derived from tree resin over centuries. Mother-of-pearl inlay accents further decorate lacquered furniture. The deep lacquer luster highlights craftsmanship in protective finishes.
Elegant Textile Patterns and Motifs
FROM decorative silk embroidery to simple cotton curtains, textiles bring visual harmony. Stylized floral motifs and repeating geometric borders embellish fabrics. Complex squiggly brocade designs grace woven sleeping mats, cushions and wall tapestries with Asian flair. Vietnamese resourcefully embellished textiles to multitask as art.
Traditional Vietnamese Painting and Calligraphy
Framed artworks feature classical Vietnamese water-based ink drawings and poetry calligraphy using bamboo pens. Finely painted manuscripts get showcased with carved wood frames. Subjects span landscapes, village life and floral as well as Chinese scripture quotations. Beautiful brush painting and penmanship traditions permeate the home.
Ornate Exterior Carvings and Details
Outside, the entrance gates, balcony railing, roof lineages, and window shutters bear elegant carvings elevating façade ornamentation. The hardwood front gates contain kingfishers and village scenes carved in relief. Figurative and natural designs adorn railings. Artistry flourishes abundantly across interior and exterior spaces.
Ceramic and Clay Works Reflecting Village Life
Clay pottery articles further enliven living spaces with handcrafted character. Display alcoves hold glazed ceramic bowls and vases with hand-painted designs. Heavy clay sewer pipes get transformed into planters sprouting herbs.again, artisans demonstrate the spirit of enhancing daily objects through creativity and handmade form.
Religious Iconography and Ritual Objects
Carved religious iconography like the nine dynastic urns provides symbolic touches reflecting spirituality within family homes. Other carved emblems symbolize prosperity and fortune. The altars also feature ritual artifacts like incense burners shaped from wood or pottery handcrafted to honor ancestors through ceremonial objects.
Beautifying Through Creativity and Resourcefulness
Together, the painstaking heritage handicraft ornaments throughout 87 Ma May Street house reveal Vietnamese artistry, principles of purposeful beauty, and resourcefulness elevating life’s ordinary spaces. The textiles, carvings, tiles, lacquers and paintings exhibit cultural reverence for embellishing living aesthetically and artfully through original handiwork. If you are in Vietnam and interested in discovering more about Hanoi – the capital and its significance, we invite you to join us at Free Walking Tours Hanoi. We’ll take you across the building, and provide you with a unique perspective of the city. Book now and don’t miss out on this amazing experience.
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