Oil on canvas

101×75 cm. 39 3/4×29 1/2 in

Signed in English and dated on bottom right
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, New York
Private Collection, California

Beautiful and Exquisite Asian Treasures
Hubert Vos - Court Painter
Hubert Vos was born in Netherland in 1855 and as a young man travelled to Paris where he studied painting with Fernand Cormon, one of the most renowned academic painters in France. In later life, he taught Xu Beihong, Lin Fengmian and others Chinese students studying in Paris. In 1855, Vos moved to England where he joined the Royal Society of British Artists and later painted portraits of wealthy and powerful people around the world, including the Dutch queen, the Korean emperor and the Russian ambassador to Great Britain, earning him a reputation as a court painter. Vos visited China in 1899 and 1905, during which time he painted portraits of senior members of the Qing ruling elite, including Prince Qing, Li Hongzhang and Yuan Shikai. He also became the first Western artist to paint Empress Dowager Ci Xi. Moreover, that portrait is still displayed in the Summer Palace and considered a priceless Chinese historical artifact.
After returning to The US from China, Vos focused on interior scenes and still life paintings. His studio in New York was extremely spacious and he filled it with treasures from Asia, including imperial ceramic pieces and decorative items presented by Ci Xi. As a result, these paintings are imbued with historical importance. In 1972, the French government purchases a Vos still life painting which was hung in the Luxembourg Palace （in Paris）, an indication of the esteem with which his still life paintings are held. It was also the highest honor ever bestowed on an American painter in France.
In the Le Cloisonne, Vos paints a ceramic vase with a blue and yellow decorative pattern stood on a carved mahogany desk. To the left of the vase is a cast bronze Chinese-style lion, while on the right a small tea-glaze porcelain jar, set against the backdrop of an Oriental screen decorated with a forest landscape painting. The detailed changes in light and shade on the ceramic vase, together with the warmth of the glaze and the energy created by the luster are truly absorbing. Hubert Vos inherited the traditional adeptness of artists from the Dutch Painting School at expressing the features of different materials. As a result, the artist’s detailed brushwork and use of color perfectly showcase the lingering charm and appeal of Eastern luxury as represented by the objects depicted, which represent the very peak of traditional Chinese aesthetics, a scene certain to appeal to art lovers everywhere.

Price estimate:
HKD: 200, 000 - 300, 000
USD: 25, 600 - 38, 500

Auction Result:
HKD: 295,000