A mother-of-pearl inlay picture featuring Uncle Ho reading the Declaration of Independence has recently been listed in the Vietnam Book of Records as the largest inlaid portrait of President Ho.
The picture, measuring 1.93 metres long and 1.28 metres, was made by artist Nguyen Dinh Vinh from Tien Du district, Bac Ninh province, who is famous for pearl inlay.
Vinh came up with the idea of making a mother-of-pear inlay picture of Uncle Ho 20 years ago, originating from his love and respect from the great national leader.
A great deal of time and effort was spent to find suitable materials for the work, including bronze, shell of snail, and pearl. According to Vinh, the shades of the materials must be in harmony with each other to create a perfect overall composition for the picture.
As a wood block was inlaid with mother-of-pearl, Vinh found it difficult to process the wood to firmly glue the materials onto the surface and prevent them from peeling off with time and in various weather conditions.
Vinh completed the picture in September 2012. His endeavour has been awarded and the picture was highly appreciated by experts for successfully reflecting Uncle Ho’s manner and spirit at the sacred moment of reading the Declaration of Independence at Ba Dinh square in Hanoi in September 2, 1945.