Lot 18: Pham Hau (1903-1995) Golden Sunset over Halong Bay

Pham Hau (1903-1995)
Golden Sunset over Halong Bay
circa 1938-1945

signed with artist's seal
lacquer, pigment, and gold foil on wood

100 by 198 cm. (total six panels with their mount)
39 3/8 by 78 in.

The work is accompanied by Emperor Bao Dai's calling card.
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Provenance
Private Collection of Emperor Bao DaiGifted to Edgar Ansel Mowrer circa 1951Thence by descent to the present owner
范光厚 （范厚）
下龍灣的金色夕陽約一九三八年至一九四五年作
簽名：范厚筆 藝術家花押漆木 金箔
來源
保大帝私人收藏約1951年贈予埃德加·安塞爾·莫勒現藏家繼承自上述來源
Celebrated as one of the finest Vietnamese lacquer masters, Pham Hau was a pioneer who contributed to the birth of Vietnamese lacquer art which has grown to become a fine art medium in the country today. The rare and exquisite Golden Sunset over Halong Bay, once belonging to Emperor Bao Dai,1 is a true masterpiece by Pham Hau. It is a magnificent representation of his poetic compositions with unparalleled technical virtuosity and supreme workmanship.
The Birth of Vietnamese Lacquer Art
The École des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine (EBAI) was established around 1925 through the efforts of Victor Tardieu and Nguyen Van Tho (better known as Nguyen Nam Son). Although modelled after the French academy system, Tardieur's passion for the beauty of the country and the aesthetics of her people compelled him to pursue a mission to renovate and revitalise local art traditions.2
Together with Joseph Inguimberty, Tardieu encouraged the study and application of indigenous art forms and materials while bringing modern European painting practices to his students. It was in this cultural exchange and at the crossroads between the old and the new, the foreign and the local, that Vietnamese lacquer and silk paintings formed their distinctive style and flourished.
The 1927 to 1945 period was pivotal for the development of lacquer art in Vietnam. A studio dedicated to lacquer at EBAI was established in 1927 under the leadership of Inguimberty, with support from master artisan Dinh Van Thanh and Alix Aymé who studied lacquer from a Japanese professor at the Professional School in Hanoi.3 In 1932, technical lacquer education was officially introduced to the school's curriculum.4 And in 1938, Evarist Jonchere, the Director of EBAI from 1938 to 1945, elevated the status of lacquer from traditional craft to that of a modern fine art medium by officiating it into the school curriculum and creating a dedicated Lacquer Department alongside Painting and Sculpture within the Fine Arts Section of EBAI. Lacquer art then experienced a magnificent boost in interest, support and practices. The lacquer ateliers of Pham Hau and Nguyen Gia Tri were created in 1934 and c. 1936, respectively, followed by those of Nguyen Van Ty, Hoang Tich Chu and Le Quoc Loc. The Cooperative Society for Indochinese Artists was established in 1939 to support lacquer artists in selling and promoting their artworks via domestic and international exhibitions. Governmental loans were granted to artists for the purchase of expensive materials for lacquer paintings. A dedicated showroom at EBAI was set up. Lacquer paintings and screens (bình phong) became status symbols for the Vietnamese and French elites in Indochina.
Pham Hau—A Pioneer Master of Lacquer Art
Pham Hau was born in 1903 in Dong Ngac, Ha Dong, Hanoi. Unlike most of his peers at EBAI who came from well-off families, he lost his parents at the age of 10, was trained as a metal moulder at Haiphong Vocational School and worked at Hanoi train station5 before joining EBAI in 1929 at the age of 26. Perha... For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website