The worship vessel commissioned in China by Dang Huy Tru.

In Vietnam, the ancestral worship plays a particularly importance in the religious believes. Buddhists, Catholics or non-believers honour the memory of their ancestors. All families carried out ancestor worshipping and inside most houses had their own altars. However, the rich families had a separate family ancestral temple, which size was according to the status of the family. The altar of the First Ancestor, the founder of the family, is always placed in the centre. The tradition wants that, outside of the founder ancestor, the cult of the other members was perpetuated only during five generations. After this period, their tablets must be carefully ranged (or buried) in the ancestral temple. The ancestor's soul acquired more prestige according to his official rank that he occupied in the society during his lifetime, the extent of his progeny and the luxury of the life style. The more he raised in the hierarchy, the more his soul would survive a long time and more his descendants could benefit from his protections. By royal favour and for a heroic act, his cult could become perpetual. As well as the sovereign could damage, or even destroy an ancestral temple and submit the Ancestors to an eternal wandering when his progeny committed an important crime (see for example the case of Dang Van Hoa). When the family becomes too numerous or when one member of the younger branch had been distinguished, this branch can build his own ancestral temple with, in the centre, the altar of the founder ancestor of its branch.

By this cult expresses itself the Filial Piety. This one doesn't only address to the deaths: it is made of all the homages that a person must receive, during his life, at the time of his death, and during his ancestral life. The ritual ceremony shows the respect to the dead and to ensure that they would help their descendants, by interceding on their behalf with the gods, and spread theirs kindness. Without their help and a proper acknowledgement of their role, their progeniture can suffer. Thus, the descendants must perpetuate the cults and afford offerings to the dead.

On the altar, the ancestral tablet takes the first position. However, the set of altar vessels comprises a tripod (used to hold incense sticks), a censer (to burn powdered incence), two candlesticks, a flower vase and one fruit holder. These pieces are permanently placed on the altar. The incence burner and the candlesticks are frequently in bronze, while the tripod, the vase and the fruit holder are in ceramic or porcelain.

During the ceremonies, the family’s chief must present to his ancestors of the dishes composed of meats and fish cooked, of cereals, of cakes and fruits, of water, alcohol and tea. Its were placed on a table owing each altar. The worship vessel is different of the other class of objects. The altar sets are placed on top of an altar while the ritual vessels in which food was offered to ancestors, are only used during the ceremony. These items included plates (whose diameter varies between 10,20 cm and 13,50 cm), small bowls, large everted bowl (for offering water), covered rice bowls, tea sets and vases.

The ritual vessel commissioned by Dang Huy Tru must be differentiated of the pieces called “embassy”. First, the two missions led by Dang Huy Tru were not tributaries missions but only “study trips” achieved in an official setting (on the emperor's order). Second, these porcelains were not manufactured in the imperial factories as the “embassy” pieces but in the provincial ovens of Guangdong and, probably, at Canton that was, since the 17^th century, a big centre for porcelains. The cobalt colour produced from the Guangdong ores was thin and greyish, and turned black when fired as on the pieces.*

The mark shows the Chinese characters: Tu Duc Mau thin trung thu Dang quy tu duong te khi… writing in circular form. These inscriptions explain the dating, the function and the decoration of these items.

The first six characters, Tu Duc Mau thin trung thu, give the date: “(making during the) Autumn of the Mau thin year (1868) of the reign of Tu Duc”, period that Dang Huy Tru stayed in the Guangdong.

The next six characters, Dang quy tu duong te khi, reveal their destination: “(cultual vessel destined to) the ancestral temple of younger branch of the Dang family”. On several opportunities regarding the books printed in China during the summer 1868, Dang Huy Tru used the term Dang quy to mention his family branch as for example:

- “Long life to the emperor Tu Duc (Tu Duc van vạn nien), the 21^st year, the first day of the 6^th month (chi nhi thap nhat tue), of the year Mau Thin (1868, Mau thin ha luc nguyet soc). The eldest son of the younger branch of the Dang family (Dang quy tieu ton ton truong), Huy Tru wrote it (Huy Tru thu)”, in the preface of Dang Dich Trai ngon hanh luc, “Anthology of acts and writings of Dich Trai Dang”,

- “The eldest of the younger branch of the family Dang (Dang quy ton truong), Huy Tru wrote respectfully (Huy Tru cung tap)”.

On some of them, he clearly mentioned his ancestral temple as Dang quy tu duong tang ban, “exemplary to preserve in the ancestral temple of the younger branch of the Dang”.

Therefore, the Dang quy tu duong mentioned on the mark, related the temple of Dang Huy Tru’s family. This temple was reconstructed at Thanh Luong in 1930s by Mrs. Dang Thi Sam, daughter of Dang Huu Vi, grandson of Dang Huy Tru.

And finally, two or four other characters conclude the mark. They reveal the title of the decor as ngu tao, “fishes and water grass”, or, more poetic, dong mach co tung, “Winter (at  the origin) of gathering (under) the solitary pine”.