Raoul Hideux, France vers 1920-1930

Two polychrome enamel miniatures on copper, in gilded brass oval frames joined by a dragon, depicting two bust portraits of Vietnamese personalities, possibly including Emperor Khai Dinh of Vietnam and one of his wives. Nine annotated plates of sketches or portrait projects are included. N.B. Raoul Hideux et Cie, an enamel art company in Paris, was known in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a specialist in miniature portraits, enameled on copper. In the 1920's, the Robert HIDEUX et Cie company had a project to paint portraits of important political figures in Asia, for presentation in an exhibition, and sent a representative, C. A. Benoist, himself an enamel artist, descended from a family of late 18th-century artists. He was to contact the various directors to obtain photos and biographies, and to meet with them wherever possible, in an effort to get as close to reality as possible by portraying them. C. A. Benoist was in China in 1924, particularly in Peking and Tianjin, as attested by several files he compiled on Chinese politicians. Dim. 15.5 x 21.7 cm. Sight plate 10.5 x 8.5 cm.