Not long ago, an art-loving friend of Viet Art View kindly asked about a lacquer painting signed Nguyen Khang (1911-1989).
Nguyen Khang (1912-1989) ‘Nha Rong harbor’ circa 1960s, lacquer, pigment, gold on wood; 60×120 cm 2 element; Estimate: 550.000 – 850.000 HKD
Nguyen Khang (1912-1989) ‘Uncle Ho visiting the village’, lacquer
Basically, this is a very old lacquer painting. This can only be guessed by visual perception, not seeing the painting directly. Next, it is most likely a lacquer painting by artist Nguyen Khang. From the language, the style, the signature part is very Nguyen Khang. However, the image of a man in a hat riding a bicycle on the bridge seems somewhat modern. From afar, does the costume look like a man in the 60s and 70s in Saigon? This image does not fit very well with the ancient features of the architecture of Nha Rong harbor and the boats and carriages look very ancient. Not only that, the painting is 60×120 in dimension, in a “binary” style that was very popular in the southern region, not in the north. But artist Nguyen Khang also created some paintings in a “binary” style like this.
Viet Art View called, sent photos, and discussed the above painting with artist Nguyen Thai Dzung, son of painter Nguyen Khang. He was also very confused. He admitted that he didn’t know if it was his father’s painting or not. He only vaguely remembers that in the 1970s-80s, his father mentioned about creating a painting of Nha Rong harbor. But it’s been too long, so Mr. Dzung’s detailed memory is not complete.
The Nha Rong harbor in early 20th century
So, is the lacquer painting ‘Nha Rong harbor’ about to be auctioned at Bonham on May 28, 2022, is it a genuine painting by artist Nguyen Khang?
According to the information that Viet Art View searched on the internet about photos of Nha Rong harbor in the early 20th century, it was possible to recognize the details that coincide with details such as bridges, boats, horse-drawn carriages, etc. The picture is probably Khanh Hoi bridge across the river and canals of Ben Nghe, towards Nha Rong harbor from the center of Saigon. Thus, the information on the Bonhams website is about the 1960s, not sure what data to rely on…
A veteran collector in Vietnam who already owns several paintings by artist Nguyen Khang is also considering bidding this painting because he has a relatively good grasp of Nguyen Khang’s paint making techniques.
Viet Art View find that this lacquer painting is most likely created by artist Nguyen Khang. But to be sure or not, we don’t have the answer right now… If we could see the painting directly, maybe there would be a different answer?
Some thoughts we would like to share with art lovers…
By Viet Art View
Copyright belongs to Viet Art View
