Old Vietnamese statues up for international auction

The three statues are among 81 paintings and antiquities introduced in Aguttes' auction session on Vietnamese Painting and Art.

The first is the statue of Guan Yin Buddha made of lacquered wood and gilded. The Buddha stands on a dais, wearing a hat, and robe with folds on the lower body. The statue is 81 centimeters high including the dais. It has cracks on the face and hem of the shirt due to the lacquer being damaged over time.

The second is a yellow-brown lacquered wooden Buddha 49.5 centimeters high. This Buddha is meditating and wearing a robe. The statue is also cracked, slightly damaged.

The final is a statue of Buddha standing on an ironwood dais, holding a myrobalan fruit in his left hand and wearing a robe. The statue is 113.5 centimeters tall and also has some cracks due to aging.

The statue of Guan Yin Buddha introduced in the auction. Photo courtesy of Aguttes.

According to the auction house, the three antiques are among few Vietnamese Buddha statues that have been auctioned internationally so far. They predict that their prices could range from 1,000 to 3,000 euro ($998-$2994).

In addition, Aguttes will also introduce a number of ceramic and porcelain antiquities that were used during the reign of King Thieu Tri (1841-1847).

In the painting session, works by famous Vietnamese fine artists, including Le Pho, Mai Trung Thu, Vu Cao Dam, Le Thi Luu, Le Quoc Loc, Dinh Van Dan... will be introduced.

According to The Value, an online news platform about art, Vietnamese paintings, sculptures and antiquities are drawing more and more interest and appear in more international auctions.

In June, a bowl of jade used by King Tu Duc was sold for 845,000 euro by auction house Drouot.

In October 2021, a Nguyen Dynasty mandarin hat was sold for 600,000 euro in an auction session hosted by Balclis (Spain). At the same session, a Nguyen Dynasty costume was sold for 35,000 euro.

Aguttes, founded in 1974, is the fourth largest French auction house. In addition to its headquarter in Paris, it also has offices in Brussels, Lyon and Aix-en-Provence. Aguttes has organized many sessions dedicated to Vietnamese artists.