'Port Dayot' French School (1946)

'Port Dayot', watercolour and gouache on paper, 20th Century French School (1946), is a naive and charming depiction of a fishing couple pulling in their nets in Van Phong, also known as Port Dayot by the French. Port Dayot is a remote coastal tropical paradise surrounded by hills, mountains and forests. The French call it Port Dayot after Jean Baptiste Marie Dayot (1759 - 1809), a French Navy officer and adventurer who went into the service of Nguyen Anh, the future emperor of Vietnam. Originally from a Breton family, Dayot became a Lieutenant de vaisseau auxiliaire in the French Royal Navy and is thought to have commanded one of two commercial ships which accompanied French warships to Vietnam. Although this artwork was created in the 1940s, it has an essence of antiquity about it. The simple fisherman's homes surrounded by palms are backdrop to the traditional fishing boats or skiffs used in the bay's blue waters. Nothing is presented that could identify this painting as a 20th Century artwork. That is one of its most endearing features. Regrettably, the artist's signature / initials are illegible but the date is clearly visible (April '46) as is the setting for the work, in the lower right hand side, Port Dayot. Given its age, the work is in good condition, its colours still vibrant and the paper intact (please note there are two very small holes on each of the upper corners ostensibly used to pin the painting to a surface). The artwork has been newly framed and glazed to preserve it for decades to come. Upon request a video of the piece may be provided. 

Dimensions with frame:

H 51.5 cm / 20.3"

W 42 cm / 16.5"

Dimensions without frame:

H 35 cm / 13.8"

W 25.5 cm / 10"