Vietnamese artist Mai Trung Thu was part of the first batch graduating from the Indochine Academy of Fine Arts along with Le Pho and Nguyen Phan Chanh. Having moved to Paris in 1937, Mai Thu continued using only gouache and ink on silk to depict an idyllic, elegant, and traditional Vietnam. Hunters (Lot 305) is a departure from Mai Thu’s usual subjects of young children and the peaceful contentment of domestic scenes. The resting hunters are depicted against a vast mountainous background rendered with a style reminiscent of classical Chinese painting. With characteristically rich colours and a precision of detail made finer by virtue of the artist’s favoured medium of silk, this is a rare and exquisite masterpiece from the artist.

Through the composition of the scene and the placement of the figures, Mai Thu encourages the viewer to construct a narrative around the resting hunters – we can imagine them coming across a beautiful clearing in the midst of a tiring hunt, and finding a welcome reprieve amidst the fading heat of the day after a tiring hunt. The bright Primary colours of red, blue, and yellow on the blankets of the horses draw the viewer’s gaze to the foreground of the painting before the slender trunks of the trees and their delicate foliage lead us towards an appreciation of the depth of the composition, while evoking the vast landscape within which our characters are nestled.

Accompanied by the distinctive Vietnamese frame of the period complete with intricate carvings and burnished wood and lacquer, Hunters offers us a window into a fabled vision of Vietnam – a land rich with culture, beauty, and adventure.