The forthcoming Fine Interiors auction, on 8th March 2022, features an oil on board, Black Jug, by Dod Procter RA (1891-1972). It is likely that the work was created in the early 1940s, and intriguingly the verso depicts a second, smaller painting, Interior. Born Doris Margaret Shaw, Dod attended art schools in England and Paris with Ernest Procter whom she married in 1912. Whilst in Paris they had met Renoir and Cezanne, and they took inspiration and influences from these artists’ works. Dod and Ernest collaborated in their art, they frequently shared commissions and exhibited together. Soon after the end of World War I they travelled to Rangoon, capital of Burma, (now Myanmar), and then still a British colony, for an extraordinary assignment.
Lim Chin Tsong palace, was named after its creator and was built between 1915 and 1918. Lim Chin Tsong was the son of Lim Soon Hean, who originally hailed from mainland China and had emigrated to Burma in 1861. On the death of Soon Hean in 1888 and at the age of 21 Chin Tsong inherited his father’s thriving business, the young man was fluent in English and had received the finest education available in 19th century Burma. As well as trading in rice, Chin Tsong became the exclusive agent for the Burma Oil Company and consequently amassed a considerable fortune, which he spent on art, smart clothing and even steam ships. He was also a keen member of the Rangoon Turf Club, an expensive hobby, although he balanced his lavish lifestyle with many acts of philanthropy. Chin Tsong built the palace when he was in his fifties, reputedly for 2.2 million rupees, its five storey tower was conceived to resemble the Fu Xing Pavilion at the Summer Palace, Beijing. Building materials were imported from China and Italy and the fusion of Western and Chinese architectural elements, although not unusual in other British colonies with strong Chinese communities, was unique for Rangoon, at the time the palace, in the Golden Valley area of the city, stood by itself on an island.
During the World War I Ernest had served in France with a Friend’s Ambulance Unit – the volunteer unit founded by the Quakers – and with the War over he and Dod settled in Newlyn, Cornwall. Chin Tsong visited England in 1918 and met with the Procters, they became friends very quickly and the couple were invited to Rangoon to paint murals in the new palace. The Procters worked alongside Burmese, Indian and Chinese craftspeople and were often painting at great height to decorate the expansive interiors. They worked for a year on the project, but Chin Tsong was not impressed with the results, he refused to pay them the agreed fee and they went without accommodation. In need of an income, they resorted to painting local residents and landscapes as well as members of the British colonial administration. Ernest Procter’s well known work, Burmese Boy in a Bullock Cart, of 1925, was inspired by these extracurricular activities.
Sadly today Lim Chin Tsong palace is in a state of disrepair, but one can still see that at its height the palace would have been the epitome of style and grace and it was the venue for many smart parties. Although currently home to an art school there are plans to turn the largely empty spaces into a cultural centre, with displays of art, jewellery and sculpture. In 1923 soon after the completion of the palace Chin Tsong died, he had been badly in debt since at least 1911, and had made several misjudged decisions with funds which were available to him – such as in 1915 when he won a civil suit over the cancellation of a steam ship charter, Chin Tsong spent the proceeds on the importation of a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost from England.
As for Dod, she returned with Ernest to Newlyn, and her output in the 1920s mostly comprised portraits, invariably of local women. From 1923 she adopted the name Dod, in place of Doris, and her work of 1925 Model, depicting a young woman, Cissie Barnes, deep in concentration, was acclaimed when shown at the Royal Academy that year. Two years later, Procter’s most famous work, Morning, was bought for the nation by the Daily Mail for £300. It was also exhibited at the Royal Academy and the art critic of The Sunday Times, Frank Rutter, wrote that Dod was responsible for ‘the invention of a twentieth century style in portraiture’ – at the time she was arguably the best known artist in the country. Three years after the unexpected death of Ernest in 1935 Dod moved to Zennor, where she continued to paint portraits and also flowers. Our work, Black Jug, dates from around the time she became a full member of the Royal Academy in 1942. Dod still sought out her overseas adventures, in 1948 she was in Basutoland, in the 1950s she spent time in Jamaica and in 1964 she visited Tanganyika.
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Fine Interiors including Cherry Barker – Collecting the English Vernacular | Tuesday 8th March 2022, 2pm | For all auction enquries: info@thepedestal.com