The country’s first-ever research based on a rare set of the Nguyen dynasty royal portraits was published as a book late last week.

The book, “Dai Le Phuc Viet Nam Thoi Nguyen” (Nguyen Dynasty’s Vietnamese Royal Costumes) by local researcher Tran Dinh Son, is an in-depth, comprehensive work of research on a wide variety of courtly costumes donned by kings, queens, the royal families, mandarins, maids, and soldiers in everyday life and on ceremonial occasions.

In 2011, the news that a rare set of paintings of the Nguyen dynasty, the country’s last monarchy, was offered for sale in the U.S. caused quite a stir among local researchers, who expressed their wishes to bring the set back to Vietnam.

The set was sold, but thankfully, one of Son’s friends in France gifted him a copy in 2009.

This augmented Son’s year-long study and helped him finish the comprehensive book.

“I planned to work on the book a long time ago, but there weren’t enough artifacts to go around for illustrations,” Son said. “The set of paintings was offered in the U.S. for up to €9,000, which I couldn’t afford. My book wouldn’t have been completed without the copy of the set from my friend, an antique expert in France.”

The paintings, created by Nguyen Van Nhan in 1902, realistically depict in great detail the courtly costumes in a wide range of ranks, materials, and designs.

“They are of great importance to historians and historical filmmakers, and also of high value to the re-creation of the Nguyen dynasty kings and court sessions by the Hue Relic Preservation Center, which provides authentic materials to interested visitors, particularly foreigners,” Son noted.

The set can also be an important reference tool for fashion designers, particularly those working on the design of the Vietnamese national costume, which requires solemnity and cultural identity.