Today, Friday, at 2:30 p.m., French time, June 2, 2023 in the auction ‘Asian painters, major works’ at Aguttes, in addition to the old, beautiful, rare and valuable paintings of Lê Phổ, Mai Trung Thứ, Vũ Cao Đàm, Alix Ayemé are soft and poetic silk paintings by Trần Văn Thọ; abstract with bold personality of Nguyễn Trung, Hồ Hữu Thủ; or lacquer with a traditional folk theme of Nguyễn Quang Mậu…
In the auction, there were also two very beautiful, valuable works by the French painter, Henry Emile Vollet (1861-1945).
According to information from Aguttes: “… Born in 1861, Henry Emile Vollet was a pupil of Fernand Cormon, a painter who taught several famous artists in his studio at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, including Vincent van Gogh, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Lin Fengmian. Vollet was much acclaimed by the artistic milieu of his time, receiving a special award at the 1888 Salon des Artistes Français, and the bronze medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1900. He featured Vietnamese scholars in several of his paintings: an intellectual subject close to the history painting that made his name. He used a Western technique and based his style closely on the Impressionists and the Nabis to convey the traditional solemnity of this scene, where the intense colours of the clothing contrast with the soft shades of the surrounding vegetation.”
HENRI ÉMILE VOLLET (1861-1945). Commémoration à la stèle d’un lettré (Tonkin). Circa late 19th century. Oil. 54,5 × 73 cm. Estimate: 15k-20k EUR.
The painting is titled ‘Commémoration à la stèle d’un lettré (Tonkin)’, behind the characters are architectural images similar to the Temple of Literature in Huế.
According to Wikipedia: “Under the Nguyễn Dynasty, the Temple of Literature of both the dynasty and the whole country was officially built in 1808 during the reign of King Gia Long. The temple was built majestically, located on the bank of the Hương River, in An Bình, An Ninh village, west of Huế imperial city. The Temple of Literature in Huế [Văn Miếu Huế] or Văn Thánh Huế is an abbreviation for the Văn Thánh Miếu built in Huế.”
In the auction on June 2, 2023 at Aguttes, in addition to ‘Commémoration à la stèle d’un lettré (Tonkin)’ there is also a work ‘Porte de la Cité impériale à Hué’ also by Henry Emile Vollet. And the two paintings have the same provenance from the Collection of Paul Doumer, Governor-General of Indochina (1897-1902).
HENRI ÉMILE VOLLET (1861-1945). Porte de la Cité impériale à Hué. Circa late 19th century. Oil. 73,5 × 54. Estimate: 13k-16k EUR.
The two paintings above are not dated, but based on the year of death of the first collector, Paul Doumer, who died in 1902, the paintings must have been created before 1902, around the end of the 19th century.
Henry Emile Vollet is a painter with many paintings about Việt Nam. He painted vivid landscapes of Hà Nội and Huế in the late 20th century with a high technique and color palette similar to Alix Aymmé – influenced by Impressionism and European Nabis.
With prices starting from 13k to 20k EUR for works like ‘Commémoration à la stèle d’un lettré (Tonkin)’ and ‘Porte de la Cité impériale à Hué’ is just right for collectors who love French painters who came to Indochina in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Because they themselves have realistically portrayed the image of Việt Nam with old customs imbued with Vietnamese identity.
Henry Emile Vollet may be one of the earliest painters to come to Việt Nam. Later painters such as Professor Victor Tardieu – Rector of the Indochina Fine Arts College, Joseph Inguimberty, Alix Aymé, Évariste Jonchère, Jos Henri Ponchin, Louis Rollet… have given the painting world new oriental colors with landscape, social life and people in Việt Nam.
Hopefully, in tonight’s auction, the paintings will be brought to one of the major collections of Vietnamese Art, by Vietnamese people.
HENRI ÉMILE VOLLET (1861-1945). Fête de nuit sur le Petit Lac de Hanoï. Oil on canvas. 73×86 cm.
HENRI ÉMILE VOLLET (1861-1945). Portrait d’un jeune mandarin. Oil on canvas. 34,5×27 cm.
HENRI ÉMILE VOLLET (1861-1945). Hà Nội. 1896. Oil. 39,1×61 cm.
HENRI ÉMILE VOLLET (1861-1945). Fête de nuit sur le Petit Lac de Hanoï. Oil on canvas. 73×86cm.
HENRI ÉMILE VOLLET (1861-1945). La remontée d’une Jonque sur une côte d’Annam. 1911. Oil. 66×111 cm.
Bài viết bởi Viet Art View
Bản quyền thuộc về Viet Art View
