 |
| Ms. Tran Thi Minh Phung painting a glass artwork, working directly on the back surface of the glass using the “reverse painting” technique |
Preserving the “reverse painting” craft
In the history of Hue’s fine arts, glass painting is considered a unique art form because its technique differs greatly from traditional painting styles. Glass paintings are created by painting or inlaying designs directly onto the back surface of the glass. When the work is finished, the artist flips the glass over, revealing the image on the front side. Because the paint layer lies on the back of the glass, it is less affected by humidity and weather conditions. For this very reason, the entire creative process must be carried out in a “reverse painting” manner.
According to remaining historical records, the glass painting craft in Hue is associated with artisans of Chinese origin who lived in Bao Vinh and Chi Lang Street. They brought the technique from China and later adapted the themes, compositions, and calligraphy to suit the aesthetic tastes of the Nguyen Dynasty court. As a result, glass paintings in Hue embody both cultural interference and a distinct artistic identity unique to the land of Hue.
Ms. Tran Thi Minh Phung’s family has practiced the glass painting craft for three generations. Her grandfather, who was of Chinese origin, brought the craft to Hue in the early twentieth century. He was also known for painstakingly creating pigments from plants, grasses, and flowers to paint glass artworks for the Imperial City and the Tu Duc Tomb. By the time of her father’s generation, glass paintings were still regularly commissioned. Ms. Phung grew up surrounded by the craft, becoming familiar with glass and ink from a young age. “Sitting beside my father and watching him work again and again, my hands gradually got used to it. When my father passed away, I continued the work. If I did not followed this craft, there would be, perhaps, no one left to preserve it,” Ms. Phung shared.
According to Ms. Phung, painting on glass means “paint on the back, but see the front.” This is the biggest barrier that makes the craft difficult to pass on. “You have to completely reverse the order of the painting. The details that viewers see first must actually be painted last. If even a small detail is wrong, it cannot be corrected,” Ms. Phung explained.
The surface of glass is smooth, and the ink adheres directly to it, unlike paper or silk which can absorb pigment. The painter cannot accurately judge whether the pressure of the hand is too strong or too light. If the brush pauses too long or the hand trembles slightly, the ink may spread and ruin the entire composition. For this reason, glass painting almost has no concept of trial or practice strokes.
Besides the painting technique, the mother-of-pearl inlay process also requires considerable experience. The shells used for inlay cannot be used immediately; they must first be heated to bring out their color. In the past, Hue glass-painting artisans used rice-husk furnaces, with the husk ash helping maintain an even temperature. When rice husks became less common, Ms. Phung switched to charcoal firing, adjusting the temperature manually for each batch. If the heating is uneven, the material is ruined. Too strong a fire will burn the mother-of-pearl, while too weak a fire will fail to bring out its color. Only through repeated practice does one become skilled at the process.
 |
| A Hue glass painting artwork featuring a familiar bird-and-flower motif in traditional art |
Following the traces of a golden past
Regarding subject matter, Hue glass paintings were once created mainly for imperial court spaces. Common themes included landscapes, flowers, birds, the “Four Precious” (Tu quy), and familiar stories from Confucian tradition. Among these, the series “The Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars” (Nhi Thap Tu Hieu) was especially popular and frequently commissioned. Each story has its own composition, requiring the painter not only to master the technique but also to know the story and understand the characters.
According to Ms. Phung, the most difficult part is painting human faces. When painting in reverse, the artisan must visualize the complete face in their mind—from the eyes to the bridge of the nose, the mouth, and the chin. “Even the slightest misalignment becomes obvious, once the painting is flipped over, there’s no way to hide it,” she said.
Glass paintings do not have a fixed size. Each piece is measured according to the specific place where it will be displayed. A common format is a horizontal panel, about 58–60 cm long and just over 20 cm high. There are also larger pieces, over a meter long, typically used in traditional houses or spacious interiors.
Among the works she has created, Ms. Phung mentioned a large, nearly square glass painting installed on the stair landing of an old house in Hoi An. Additionally, she still keeps several paintings she made herself, including a large eagle painting and sets of the Eight Immortals (Bat Tien). Around the mid-1990s, glass painting experienced a brief revival in the market. “At that time, I painted a glass artwork on the theme of Thuy Kieu for a collector who brought it to France. Back then, the paintings were bought in U.S. dollars,” Ms. Phụng recalled.
Currently, she still receives commissions, mainly from researchers and collectors both in Vietnam and abroad. The price of a medium-sized set of glass paintings ranges from about 7 to 10 million VND. However, since she no longer lives in Hue regularly and only returns a few times each year, the number of completed paintings remains quite limited.
According to Dr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Hue City, imperial glass paintings of Hue represent a distinctive artistic form that developed within the architectural spaces of the Nguyen Dynasty. This art form employs techniques that differ significantly from many traditional painting styles. However, research and public introduction of glass painting today have not yet matched the true cultural and artistic value of this unique art form.
Dr. Hai suggested that the display of glass paintings in heritage sites should be reorganized according to clear themes, rather than remaining scattered as they are today. At the same time, specialized exhibition spaces should be created during festivals to help the public better understand Hue glass paintings. In the long term, research into traditional production techniques and restoration methods, combined with knowledge from folk glass painting traditions in Vietnam and the South China region, is considered an essential approach for the preservation of this art form.