MAISON DES BEAUX-ARTS DE L'INDOCHINE, MBAI Circa 1930-1940 Sailing fish among aquatic plants. Six-leaf lacquered wood screen. With the mark MBAI engraved on the reverse of the 6th panel Size per panel: H. 100 x W. 29.8 cm. Provenance: A high-ranking military official of the colonial administration in Indochina from 1937 to 1944; since then in the family. The folding screen depicts a number of large and small sailfish among aquatic plants and rocks, in warm shades of brown and yellow, highlighted by the dark red background and illuminated by the gold of the seaweed, particularly in the foreground, and by touches of mother-of-pearl and eggshell inlays. The panels are joined together by hinges and stand on small legs extending from them. The MBAI mark engraved in a rectangle at the bottom of the right-hand panel refers to the Maison des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine, better known as the École des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine in Hanoi, founded in 1925 by the French in collaboration with Vietnamese artists. The school, whose teaching was based on both Western and Eastern traditions, offered a 5-year course exploring painting, sculpture and lacquer work. This led to the emergence of a unique artistic movement, in which the art of lacquer was undoubtedly the most spectacular expression of the symbiosis of the two cultures. The MBAI mark attests to the fact that this was a collective work created by students at the school who had already achieved a high level of expertise. Over the 20 years of the school's existence, successive classes have produced a large number of artists in Vietnam who have acquired an international reputation. In the field of lacquerware, these included Pham Hâu, Nguyen Giatri and Lê Quôc Lôc, who graduated in 1934, 1936 and 1942 respectively. It is conceivable that some of them were involved in the creation of this screen. This mark, although rare, can be found on a few works offered on the art market. These are mainly single-panel landscapes. For example, at Sotheby's in Paris on 15 June 2023, lot 88, and in Hong Kong on 8 July 2020, lot 1065. Also at Fauve-Paris, on 26 October 2019, lot 21. Finally, a folding screen of similar format but also depicting a landscape, at Sotheby's Hong Kong on 29 July 2022, lot 2020. Expert: Cabinet Ansas, Papillon et de Léry. ATTENTION: THIS LOT IS SUBJECT TO A COMPULSORY DEPOSIT WITH THE ADMINISTRATION DES VENTES DE VERSAILLES. IT WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE TO BID LIVE FOR THIS LOT. Contact: [email protected] or 01 80 81 90 36. PLEASE NOTE: THIS LOT IS SUBJECT TO A MANDATORY SECURITY DEPOSIT WITH THE VERSAILLES AUCTION AUTHORITY. LIVE BIDDING WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE ON THIS LOT. Contact: [email protected] or +33 1 80 81 90 36.