AN IMPORTANT DOUBLE-FACED COROMANDEL SIX-PANEL LACQUER SCREEN

Private Collection, France

The lacquer screen is in overall good condition. There are some cracks in general - possibly due to the ageing process, which is consistent with the nature of Coromandel lacquer. There are minor chips around the edges and some paint loss on the verso of the screen (the gold surface), particularly on the third, fifth and sixth panel (seen from the verso). Some spots of retouching are also detected. The screws of the hinge on the fifth panel (seen from the front) have been replaced and bolts are missing from the hinges except on the second panel (seen from the front). The colours of the actual screen are richer in reality.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

DEFINING AN ERA – LEGACY OF LACQUER

From 1925 to 1945, thanks to the outstanding contribution of the Professor and painter Joseph🃏 Inguimberty, assisted by his two colleagues Victor Tardieu ꦉand then Evariste Jonchère, the Vietnamese artists of the newborn School of Fine Arts in Hanoi have been able to create a series of remarkable lacquer works. This was the origin of modern lacquer painting in Vietnam.

After his arrival in Vietnam in 1925, Joseph Inguimberty was immediately captivated by the beauty and quality of Vietnamese lacquer which abundantly adorned the temples and pagodas in Hanoi and its surroundings. He was convinced of the necessity for a new modern school of Vietnamese lacquer and spent twenty years of his life developing the artistic training of a group of young students and to establish the school on a permanent basis. The school's foundation was a unique exampl🌞e in the history of art in Vietnam.

In 1927, Inguimberty brought in a lacquer master to teach and help students of the School of Fine Arts to complete the first research on lacquer. The painter Tran Quang ౠTran was the first student enrolled in these lacquer꧅ lessons (Class of 1932). Other students such as To Ngoc Van, Pham Hau, Nguyen Gia Tri, Nguyen Khang, Tran Van Can would soon follow.

In 1931, two lacquer panels designed by the painter Le Pho were sent to the Colonial Exhibition in Paris. ﷽Three years later, Inguimberty incorporated lacquer painting technique as an elective class into the School of Fine Art's curriculum and eventually from 1938 until the school's closure in 1945, this workshop became part of the general studies.

The present work is truly a unique piece. Taking into account the high level of skill that the lacquer technique requires, the majestic six-panel double-sided coromandel screen demonstrates the artists' impressive mastery of the technique. The main side illustrates an exceptional subject: the procession of the Emperor Bao Dai, last emperor of Vietnam, surrounded by his suite while they are l𒐪eaving the Imperial Palace in Hue, depicted against a red background. There are 170 characters in the cortege, with the Emperor taking center stage in the middle, in a yellow dress with the Dragon Imperial pattern, while dignitaries and the civil mandarins (with fans and ivory plates), military (with swords), servants 🔯and soldiers of the Imperial Guard (barefoot - unlike others), court musicians with their instruments, march around him. There are also 4 imperial flags, 14 banners, 7 parasols, 7 elephants with their ceremonial clothes and 4 horses. The mastery of the drawn perspective from the Palace and the Ngo Mon Gate (Gate of the South) is considered to be very modern for this period.

The other side of the screen features a stunning gold background as the setting for the famous Phoenix of Annam, portrayed with two cranes, flying among flowers (prunus, chrysanthemum) and plants (pines, bamboos) in a spring-like landscape, traꦇditional auspicious subjects prevalent in Confucius-influenced cultures. The contrast between the two sides symbolizes the endeavour to achieve a harmonious balance for an Asian culture that juggle peaceful tradition and dynamic innovation. Classical coromandel pattern, with scholars carrying their symbolic fruit and other precious and ritualistic objects, frame these two fabulo🐓us scenes. Until 1930, the technique of coromandel lacquer (lacquer that is engraved and painted) was not practiced in Vietnam. The present Coromandel lacquer screen was the first seminal and historical example of this type that was created by the Vietnamese artists is the first example of this type. It is part of a series of seven lacquer screens that was commissioned in 1938 by the Governor General Brévié to the School of Fine Arts in Hanoi, of which only three are executed in coromandel.

The seven pieces were supposed to be exhibited in the School of Fine Arts, in Hanoi (which explains the name Maison, ou Mission, Cooperative), 🍒then in Saigon, and finally at the International Exhibition in San Francisco. However, because of the Second World War, the works were sold in Vietnam and starting from 1945, some of them were sent to France.

Exhibited for the first time, the engraved signature "MBA" followed by 'No. 2", proves the existence of the "Mission (ou Maison) des Beaux-Arts d'Indochine", otherwise known as "La cooperative des🤡 artistes indochinois". The signature appears also on other lacquer works that can now be precisely dated between 1934 and 1944. Hence we can deduce that this important screen, with the MBA's signature is a collective work led by the painter and master of Vietnamese coromandel lacquer, Nguyen Van Bai born in 1915, graduated i🌠n 1938). One has also to bear in mind that other artists and students contributed to this magnificent masterpiece such as Pham Van Lang (born in 1908, graduated in 1934), Hoang Lap Ngon (born in 1913), Thuc Pham Chuong (born in 1914), Nguyen Nhu Hoanh (born in 1914 ), who all belong to the same promotion year, 1938.

A coromandel lacquer screen created by the artist Nguyen Van Bai dating from 1940 is in the collection of Hanoi Museum of Fine Arts. The Museum of the Imperial City of Hue currently preserves another coromandel lacquer screen that was offered to the Emperor Bao Dai and the Empress Nam Phuong in 1937. And finally, an♛other coromandel screen from the same period is kept in the old Villa of the Emperor Bao Dai in Dalat.