Jacoulet made these north-east Chinese-inspired works as companion prints, with design commencing on Le Mandarin aux lunettes, Mandchoukuo (The Mandarin with glasses, Manchukuo) in 1941 and Les perles (The Pearls) in the late 1940s. They were costly to print because of their technical complexity and unusual component mediums, so Jacoulet was not able to produce them until he had gained a level of financial stability after World War Two. The artist notes The Mandarin with glasses as a Minister of State and a man of nobility. The sitter’s sleeve is printed in three shades of grey with silver metallics, his glasses comprised of mica and crushed pink pearls. Pearl powder has been used to create the delicate filigree peonies and birds on the pale blue background.
Jacoulet describes Les perles as an Imperial princess, who unfolds a transparent lacquered pink veil (constructed from silver threads), on which a large butterfly can be seen. The print required more than 300 impressions to make. Peonies again appear in the background as a unifying motif across both works.
Renowned Japanese woodblock carver Yamagishi Kazue said of Jacoulet’s practice at the time:
His portraits possess a power of line, combining the ukiyo-e style and the distinctive precision of Western drawing . . . The expression he brings the eyes is, in particular, unrivalled by any master past or present.
