Lot 127
Indochina Fine Arts School, the 20th century
Rectangular lacquer box
Medium: Lacquer
Dimensions: 6×20×40,5 cm
This is a painting of lacquer on a rectangular wooden box lid with dimensions (face) of 20×40.5 cm. This work is unsigned. But considering the visual style of composition, color, and lines; Considering the perfection of the lacquer technique, this is most likely the work of a lacquer painting master of the Indochina period.
The painting depicts a scene of a pagoda with two architectural areas commonly found in Vietnam. Behind the pagoda are fields, trees, a winding river, rocks, a few tower tombs (of the abbot of the pagoda) and the stele. The arrangement of the composition with the foreground, background, and the architecture with a diagonal corner is very similar to Pham Hau’s arrangement. The top of the roof, the steps of the porch are neat, straight and coherent, very similar to him.
The traditional basic color palette of lacquer is vermilion, black, brown, gold and silver could be used as a reference for the time of creation before 1945.
With a very reasonable starting price, this will be an attractive work for art lovers. Because the arrtist is most likely Pham Hau, Le Quoc Loc, Tran Phuc Duyen, Hoang Tich Chu… It is interesting for the collection journey.
Lot 128
Phạm Hậu (1905-1994)
Artwork: Thầy Pagoda
Medium: Lacquer
Dimensions: 35×12 cm
Provenance: Private collection in Vietnam
Pham Hau had a special talent for landscape paintings which are delicate, detailed down to the millimeter. Regardless of whether the work is as large as 200 cm or more; or as small as a box lid measuring 35×12 cm, he made them in the same state of respect and thoroughness.
Thay Pagoda, a familiar place to generations of artists, especially artists from the Indochina Fine Arts College. The charming landscape of Thay Pagoda looks beautiful from every angle, especially when standing at a high altitude with a large space including mountains, plains, nature, architecture, and people. Pham Hau is very good at bringing that vast space into a painting on the lid of a little wooden box made of lacquer. With only a few dozen centimeters, the overlap of mountains and clouds, near and far with vegetation layers are still fully displayed… Not only that, nestled under that majestic scene is the image of a beautiful pagoda with all the ancient architectural structures.
Products that are both functional and decorative such as boxes, trays, cabinets, and screens made of lacquer are very popular with Vietnamese people. We could both use, display and decorate, while looking and enjoying the shaping and technical talent of a lacquer master – Pham Hau.
Phạm Hậu (1903-1995)
Artwork: Goldfish
Medium: Lacquer
Dimensions: 71×121 cm
Provenance: Private collection from Bretagne, purchased by the current owner’s grandfather when he worked in Saigon as an engineer at a cold ice factory from 1947 – 1954 and later transferred to the descendants.
Goldfish belong to the same family as carp and are a symbol of prosperity and luck according to Eastern beliefs. Therefore, paintings depicting goldfish and carp are very popular in Vietnam and China.
In 2019, Pham Hau’s four-panel lacquer screen Nine Carps in the Lake was sold for $1.68 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong. This was the first time a lacquer work by Pham Hau reached a million-dollar price.
The lacquer painting Scène d’aquarium avec poissons rouges d’abondance by Pham Hau in Millon’s auction also has 9 goldfish gathering. According to feng shui concepts, the number 9 is the number of the king, long-lasting, eternal, and a symbol of luck and wealth.
During his career, Pham Hau created paintings of goldfish and carp (according to the tastes and demand of the time). Most of the painters specializing in lacquer materials during the same period as Pham Hau also made paintings on this theme.
This painting comes from a private collection in Brittany, acquired by the current owner’s grandfather when he worked as an engineer in Saigon from 1947 to 1954, and then transferred to the descendants.
With a fairly large size, 71×21 cm, signed Pham Hau and a seal in the lower right corner, this is a lacquer work completed with the technique of a meticulous, thorough master on a rich color palette.
The estimate of 20,000 to 30,000 EUR is clearly a suitable and ideal choice for collectors who love Pham Hau’s lacquer painting.
THE AUCTION: ARTS OF VIETNAM, DUPLEX PARIS – HANOI
April 20, 2024
Contact: info@millon-vietnam.com
Written by Viet Art View
Copyrights belong to Viet Art View
