Ngũ Xã

Ngũ Xã sits on the shore of Trúc Bạch lake, a few minutes from West Lake in the centre of Hà Nội. The casters who settled here came from five bronze-working villages and kept the name, five villages, for the quarter they built. They cast for the court and for the pagodas: bells, incense burners, statues, ritual vessels and the domestic bronze of well-off households. They honour Nguyễn Minh Không, the Lý-dynasty monk whom Vietnamese casters regard as the patron of their craft.

The best-known work stands in the village itself. The great bronze Buddha of Thần Quang pagoda was cast by the villagers in a single pour, and it is still the reason most visitors come. The city has grown around Ngũ Xã since, and casting in a dense residential quarter has become difficult; much of the heavy work now takes place in workshops beyond the centre, while the lanes are known for bronze shops and for food. A few families keep the knowledge of the large moulds.

In good cast bronze the surface is dense and even, without pitting or bubbles, and the details of the mould come through crisply. Finishing by hand, chasing and polishing, should sharpen the casting rather than hide its faults. The colour of a well-aged piece deepens to brown or dark gold. Bright, thin, lightweight pieces are usually spun or stamped metal rather than casting.