Producer unknown to us
Ornamental plate
Asia, Vietnam
1970
Wood, lacquer
Purchased by the museum from HO Centrum Warenhaus Leipzig (department store chain) in 1970
SAs 15859
This ornamental plate was made in 1969/70 and exhibited at the Leipzig Spring Fair in 1970. It depicts an armed woman, most likely a member of the North Vietnamese Army or the Vietcong (guerrilla fighters of the North in South Vietnam), and is a commentary on the events that took place during the Vietnam War.
These objects were purchased as exhibits from various exhibition stands by HO Centrum Warenhaus Leipzig. According to in-house lore, the Leipzig Völkerkundemuseum secured an informal right of pre-emption for decorative art objects that were not returned to their countries of origin by the exhibitors. The department store then sold the remaining pieces to the citizens of Leipzig.
Dietmar Grundmann