Page 4 - Christie's IMPORTANT CHINESE Ceramics and Works of Art may 28 2021 hk

PROPERTY FROM THE SPRINGFIELD MUSEUMS,

SOLD TO SUPPORT ART ACQUISITIONS AND

COLLECTIONS CARE

of an 18th-century cloisonné enamel vase in the 1850s from an
unnamed New York dealer. ‘He saw the vase, and was immediately
attracted by it. After an examination he bought it.’ In the late 19th
century, numerous exhibitions were held that brought Chinese
and Japanese decorative arts to the mesmerized audiences of the
West. Exhibitions such as the International Exhibitions in London
(1862), Paris (1869) and Chicago (1893) introduced ‘exotic’ and
novel pieces to the public, and inspired the collecting imaginations
of fashionable elites.

The Smiths purchased voraciously through well-known dealers
in New York as well as Europe, especially London and Italy, when
on their Grand Tour from 1882 to 1887. The Springfield Republican
stated in 1899: ‘Mr. Smith never goes to New York without
registering a vow that he will not be tempted to buy anything
more, and yet when he sees something so rare and fine that he
knows he will lose it forever unless he seizes the moment of
Stivers and Smith Carriage George Walter Vincent Smith
Emporium, New York City (1832-1923) and his wife Belle opportunity. By 1904 The Craftsman stated that Smith’s cloisonné
史喬沃先生在紐約創辦的馬車具公司 Townsley Smith (1845-1928) enamels outranked the collections of the Metropolitan Museum
in their home
史喬沃先生（1832-1923）及其夫人史 and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
貝桃女士（1845-1928）在寓所中
Smith stated throughout his long history of collecting that his
Established in 1896, the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum primary criterion was beauty, commenting that, “The key note
was founded by George Walter Vincent Smith (1832-1923) and of this collection, was intended to be, and is, beauty – beauty
his wife Belle Townsley Smith (1845-1928). As a young man, and repose, beauty of form, and beauty of colour schemes, and
George Walter Vincent Smith made his fortune as a partner at consequently beauty of thought.” He also once memorably
Stivers and Smith Carriage Emporium, a New York City carriage commented, “There are many hundreds of dollars, but there is
manufacturing company best known for beautifully decorated only one such work of art.”
carriages fashioned with high-end fabrics. Smith’s successful career,
which combined an appreciation for beauty with business savvy, The Springfield Museums, located in the heart of the downtown,
enabled him to retire at the age of just thirty-five and to pursue his is the largest cultural attraction in western Massachusetts.
true passion: collecting art. In 1871, Smith moved to the thriving Established in 1857, the Museums’ primary mission is to inspire
industrial city of Springfield, Massachusetts, the hometown of exploration of our connections to art, history and science through
his wife Belle Townsley Smith. In 1891, after several decades outstanding collections, exhibitions and programmes.
of enthusiastic purchasing, the Smiths generously gifted their
collection to the privately run City Library Association (now the The result of a lengthy process of evaluation and refinement of
Springfield Museums Corporation), overseeing the construction the permanent collection, proceeds realised from the sale will
of the building to house their objects. Mr. Smith served as the be used for the care of collections and to advance the Museums’
museum’s first director and curator. commitment to equity, diversity, and access through future art
acquisitions of works by women artists, artists of colour and
It is purported that Smith’s collecting began with the purchase under-represented artists.

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