- 244
Le Pho
Description
- Le Pho
- Nativité (The Nativity)
- Signed and dated 43
- Gouache on silk
Provenance
Thence by descent to the Present Owner
Private collection, U.S.A.
Condition
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Nativité (The Nativity) is an excellent example of this pairing, for in the present painting the Virgin Mary looks upon Christ with the universal feeling of compassion. The artist has reinterpreted the Christian story as the mother and child classic archetype. Le Pho did not desire to objectify the “other” in his oeuvre, contrary to his European peers. Rather he sought to conceptualize the Western creation myth into an Asian context that would be understandable to his own Vietnamese history.
The artist’s talents with silk painting further enhance the graceful pairing of the figures, the ethereal quality of the fabric radiating an angelic glow from their embrace. The overall meaning of Nativité (The Nativity) conveys the relationship between two individuals who are very much connected and part of one another. The work is the true exchange between a mother and her child, subsequently understood as the ultimate act of love experienced by all women experiencing the joy at the birth of their child.