Oil on canvas

72.2 x 61 cm.28 3/8 x 24 in.

Signed and dated 1934 on the lower right
LITERATURE Art of Asia Publication Ltd, Hong Kong, Arts of Asia, January - February Issue 2015, plate 10, p117.
PROVENANCE Private Collection, U.S.

HUBRET· VOS
(1855-1935)
Born in Maastricht, the Netherlands, Herbert·Vos studied at the prestigious Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Belgium, and studied under the famous artist Jean-François Portaels. At a fair for contemporary masters held in Amsterdam in 1887, Vos received a gold medal for two of his oil paintings and was catapulted as one of the finest Dutch portraitists. Far from being complacent, the artist decided to roam the world making portraits for the upper classes worldwide like his teacher did and his fame soared even higher accordingly.
In 1905 on his second visit to China, Vos realized his dream from six years earlier by becoming the first ever male painter from the West to make a portrait for the Empress Dowager Cixi. The sitter was so pleased with what she saw that she took the trouble of learning to speak “very good” in English from the courtier Wu Tingfang and personally commended the portraitist. The masterpiece is now housed in the Wenchang Gallery inside the Summer Palace, Beijing. Subsequently, the painter was generously rewarded with not only 13000 taels of silver together with a grade II double-dragon medal but also a lot of lavish gifts including jade bowls, crystals and porcelains.

These exquisite works of art that exemplify Chinese craftsmanship at its best provided the painter with important subject matters for his late-year still-lifes. In the belief that poetry springs from inanimate objects, Vos dedicated himself to painting Chinoiserie or Chinese ceramics and furniture. In 1972, the French government acquired a still life by Vos and hung it inside Palais du Luxembourg, the highest honour and recognition that France had ever formally given to an American artist.

The two pieces of fine porcelains separately featured in Vos’ still-lifes that come up for auction this season are both bestowals from the Empress Dowager Cixi. One is franked by greenish ceramic objects on a yellowish green brocade tablecloth with phoenix patterns while the other, a red vase decorated with a five-claw dragon, is set on an archaic occasional table, proudly proclaiming the illustrious status of their owner. Mutually accentuating, the simple composition and the elaborate execution combine to reconstruct a tasteful corner in a sumptuous palace. On top of their artistic appeal, Vos’ paintings are rich in historical significance since they have documented the experiences of a westerner in China in the 19th century and have provided us with truthful glimpses of the late Qing. Considering the rarity of the painter’s works, these two oil paintings will certainly be coveted by many serious collectors.

Price estimate:
HKD：200,000 - 300,000
USD：25,800 - 38,700

Auction Result:
HKD: 402,500