Exquisite and rare, L’éventail (Lot 1023) is a remarkable, early period silk painting by Mai Trung Thu, a celebrated pioneer of the Golden Age period of 20th century Vietnamese art. Though Mai Thu’s silk works were typically small and charming, the present lot is an arresting, large-format composition, which are exceedingly rare to encounter. Embodying the artist’s quintessential subject matter, L’éventail showcases tender vignettes of Vietnamese culture, as seen through a woman’s musings.
本拍品可能曾於 1941-42 年在Alger vers巴斯德藝術畫廊/羅曼尼畫廊 展出，編號為12。展覽小冊子列出的梅忠恕作品與本畫同名，而展覽年份亦與本作完成的年份吻合。
L’éventail features a young maiden daydreaming as she carries a fan before her torso while contemplating the contents of her book. The sheer affection that Mai Thu had for his homeland is expressed through his sensitive explorations of his Vietnamese identity, as he blends traditional Vietnamese aesthetics with formal European styles, giving rise to a distinct artistic vernacular. Known to display his artistic talents on the historically significant Asian medium of silk, Mai Thu’s masterful paintings recapitulated notions of The Orient: through depictions of the quotidian, from doleful, elegant women, to the intimacies of Vietnamese family life. Under the poetic and whimsical qualities of Mai Thu’s artistry, the alluring maiden in L’éventail is transformed into the paragon of beauty, benevolence, refinement, and intelligence.
- trai dua pillow
The modest woman has nestled herself into a secluded nook within an interior and arranged an ideal space for her reading.
She comfortably rests her forearm on a traditional trai dua pillow, a multiple-fold pillow made by attaching rectangular cushions in order to support the back and arms while reading or reciting poetry.
A symbol of opulence catering to the customs of the noble class, this pillow is carefully embroidered with an array of traditional patterns, from blossoming flowers to numinous clouds and soaring dragons.
女郎矜持地坐在一個僻靜的角落裡，把空間佈置成理想的閱書環境，安舒地將前臂靠在枕頭上。這款越南傳統的折疊式枕頭以相連的長方形墊子組成，使用者閱書、念詩之時用它來支撐背部和手臂。這種枕頭通常刺繡各種傳統圖案紋飾，如綻放的花朵、雲紋或龍紋等，象徵富裕榮華，深得越南貴族喜愛。
- aò dái
She is dressed in a traditional Vietnamese aò dái tunic, which luxuriously tapers down her silhouette, drawing the viewer’s eye towards her elongated fingers and the objects in her possession.
她身著傳統的越南奧黛裝束， 衣料沿著修腰的剪裁下垂，引領觀者的目光望向細長的手指和她手持的物品之上。
- Seated posture
Seated contentedly on the floor of a bare interior, she commands the entirety of the composition.
她悠然坐在地板之上，四周空曠無物，觀者目光因而聚焦在她身上。
- Eyes
Emblematic of Mai Thu’s works of this period, her large eyes are delicately painted, and her facial features are softly delineated; her countenance is less stylized than those found in his later works.
She is cognizant of the viewer’s gaze, as she bashfully confronts the spectator with arched eyebrows and heavy lidded, almond-shaped eyes.
她似乎也知道觀者正在密切注視，彎曲的眉毛、厚重的眼瞼和杏形的雙目背後流露出腼腆的神態。梅忠恕仔細地刻劃她的一雙大眼睛，五官勾勒得輕柔溫婉，流露藝術家這個時期作品的特徵，而梅氏較後期作品所畫的面容則更為風格化。
- Muted palette
The muted color palette presents a dream-like quality to the painting, enunciating a calm atmosphere that allows the audiences to further admire the woman in her private moment. Mai Thu orchestrates a subtle medley of tones throughout the painting, as the lady’s tangerine tunic is accented by the emerald green lining underneath, while her ink black hair contrasts with her milky white complexion.
畫面柔和的色調呈現出如夢的畫面，氛圍平和安謐，讓觀者靜心體會伊人獨處的一刻。梅忠恕以含蓄的色調貫徹全畫，女郎橘色的衣裳下層是怡人的翠綠，烏髮與乳白的肌膚相映成鮮明的對比。
- L’éventail
Her fan is almost translucent in appearance. The ridges of the fan’s bamboo frame create slight indentations onto the decorated fabric, featuring peach blossom branches hanging over a landscape.
她的扇子幾乎是半透明的，扇子竹框的邊沿輕壓著衣料，扇上是山水桃花紋飾。 - Important Execution Year
Executed in 1941, at the apex of World War II, L’éventail is indicative of an artist who found solace in nostalgia through the perils of war.
Mai Trung Thu moved to Paris in 1937 and joined the French Army in 1939, when World War II began. In 1940, he was demobilised in Mâcon, where he stayed until 1942.
In Mâcon, Mai Trung Thu developed his own personal style. These years marked an important turning point in his aesthetic practice. Rather than painting on canvas, he devoted himself entirely to painting on the traditional Asian medium of silk, utilizing a soft palette and thin outlines to depict halycon scenes of ancient Vietnam.
《扇》創作於 1941 年，正值第二次世界大戰水深火熱之際，從中可以看到一位藝術家在戰爭的危難當中，借著懷舊找到一絲慰藉。
梅忠恕是二十世紀越南藝術黃金時代的先驅，本作是他的早期絹本畫，珍稀難得而且精妙絕倫。他的絹本畫通常以小巧迷人見著，而本作則尺幅碩大，極為罕見。 《折扇》（拍品編號1023）是梅氏的經典主題，透過女子沉思的神態展示越南文化的婉約細膩之美。
畫中年輕少女把扇按於胸前，似乎正在掩卷靜思。她悠然坐在地板之上，四周空曠無物，觀者目光因而聚焦在她身上。 梅氏通過創作，細膩地探索作為越南人的身份， 他對家鄉的深厚感情藉此表露無遺。他將越南傳統美學與正式的歐洲風格融為一體，形成了獨特的本土藝術語言。絲絹是一種傳統而具代表性的亞洲材料，梅忠恕以此為媒材，並憑著出色的畫工描繪出婉約秀麗的女性、越南家庭小品等日常生活的點滴。他的藝術創作富有詩意而趣意盎然。在他的筆下，迷人的少女成為美麗、仁慈、優雅和睿智的化身。