Elephant in Black Lacquer & Mother-of-Pearl

The late Trần Đức Lương, who was the sixth President of Vietnam, presented this gift to the late President Ong Teng Cheong during his State Visit to Singapore from March 18 to 20, 1998.

^{Dimensions: 64 × 39 × 70 cm}

This gift is an elephant on a stand in black lacquer and mother-of-pearl. It reflects Vietnam’s long tradition of lacquer artistry, in which artisans apply and polish multiple layers of natural resin to create surfaces prized for their depth, sheen, durability, and rich colours. The resin is derived from the lacquer tree (the cây sơn variant in Vietnam).

In Vietnamese history and legend, elephants are also associated with early struggles for independence.