Lacquer Panel By Hoang Ngoc Depicting Dang Nhulan

TITLE: Portrait of the eminent Buddhist layman Đặng Như Lan (1897–1972), known as Tuệ Đăng. ARTIST: HOANG NGOC (20th century)
SCHOOL: Thu Dau Mot School of Applied Arts (Vietnam / Indochina)
PERIOD: Circa 1950–1960 TECHNIQUE: Lacquered wood panel, mixed media.
SIGNATURE: Signed “Hoang Ngoc” lower left. DESCRIPTION:
A rare and remarkable lacquered wood panel depicting a Vietnamese dignitary in a three-quarter profile. The man is elegantly dressed in a Western-style suit and a fedora-style felt hat, wearing thin-framed glasses and smoking a pipe. The lacquer work creates a subtle interplay of light and shadow, highlighting the model’s realistic face against a dark and mysterious background with olive-green and golden hues. The subject is identified as Đặng Như Lan (1897–1972), also known by his Dharma name Tuệ Đăng, a major figure and a great lay scholar of 20th-century Vietnamese Buddhism.


While the known works of Hoang Ngoc and the Thu Dau Mot school focus almost exclusively on traditional landscapes of the Mekong Delta, sampans, and village scenes, this realistic portrait is an absolute rarity and has never before appeared on the market. It was most likely a private commission or a direct tribute to this great Buddhist figure, making this panel a unique collector’s item for lovers of Indochinese art and history.

Dimensions: 59.5 x 39.7 cm

Please feel free to contact me for more information.