Page 83 - Ming Porcelain Sothebys march 2018
P. 83

Fig. 1  Gustav Detring and Constantin   Fig. 2  Gustav Detring (1842-1913)  Fig. 3  Detring conferred as ‘Rank   Fig. 4  Constantin von Hanneken
                         von Hanneken photographed with                  One’, the highest ranking Westerner   (1854-1925)
                         Li Hongzhang, Berlin, 1896 . Image:             in the Qing dynasty, by the Empress
                         akg-images               ྡɚ ᅃᆪ೙  1842-1913      Dowager and Li Hongzhang, 1896.
                                                                         This painting is displayed in the Astor   ྡ̬ ဏॶ࣬  1854-1925
                                                                         Hotel, Tianjin.
                         ྡɓ ᅃᆪ೙eဏॶ࣬ၾҽᒿ௝Υ๫d
                         ݡ؍d1896ϋ
                         ྡ˪:akg-images                                   ྡɧ ᅃᆪ೙ա܆ɓۜ௟Ꮦڀ୥d
                                                                         1896ϋ
                                                                         Ϥ೥ન׵˂ݵлනᅃɽඵֳ


              CONSTANTIN VON HANNEKEN $1854%1925&

              Born in Trier on the Rhine, and described by his family as a ‘patriot of China’,    Charles ¦Chinese§ Gordon  ٙΤοਗ਼Չն
                                                                                     Τމˑ೮ੀ   Gordon  Hall fᅃᆪ೙1913ϋ஻
              Constantin von Hanneken (" g. 4) had served as a Captain in the Prussian Field
                                                                                     ˰ࣛdɓ΅ʕ਷జॷᄳ༸  j˜˼࿁˂ݵٙᐿ࿲
              Artillery before being hired as one of Detring’s military advisors. He moved to
                                                                                     ೯࢝Ϟഹ฽ɽٙᅂᚤf˂ݵʮ΍٤ගٙӊɓච
              China in 1879 to take up the position and quickly established himself as a close
                                                                                     ݬٙ೯࢝dே̙޶Ցᅃᆪ೙΋͛࿁வࡈٟึ݅
              friend and advisor to Li Hongzhang, whom he worked for until 1887. Li put von
                                                                                     ਃɽɦᘒ൮্ٙᘠf™
              Hanneken in charge of reorganizing and modernizing the Chinese army and in
              designing and building several naval forts including, most signi" cantly, Port Arthur   ဏॶ࣬€1854 1925
              (Lüshun gang). Von Hanneken was highly decorated for having established Port
                                                                                     ဏॶ࣬€ྡ̬͛׵ഺতئऱɪٙतԢဧᕄ
              Arthur in 1881, eventually rising to the rank of Chinese general, and later tasked
                                                                                     €Trierd஗࢕ɛ၈މ˜ฌʕ਷˴່٫™dဏॶ
              with the forti" cation of Talienwan and Weihaiwei. During the Sino-Japanese war,
                                                                                     ࣬ಀ΂౷ኁɻ௉኷॔жඟٙɪ੘dܝ஗ᅃᆪ೙
              in November 1894, the Guangxu Emperor issued a decree making von Hanneken
                                                                                     ॶމࠏԫᚥਪf1879ϋ୅֢ʕ਷dԘ஺ϓމҽ
              commander in chief of China’s armies with ‘ample funds and power’, in the hope   ᒿ௝ٙ੗ʾࡒ࿇ྃdɓٜމՉʈЪՑ1887ϋf
              that a Western general could defeat the Japanese army. Under pressure from   ҽᒿ௝։΂ဏॶ࣬ணࠇܔிεஈऎࠏ̨॔d̍
              xenophobic factions within the court, the plan was later reversed, eventually   ܼഹΤٙࣚනɹ̨॔fဏॶ࣬͟׵1881ϋܔி
              leading to the capturing of Port Arthur and Weihaiwei. Together Detring and von   ࣚන̨॔Ϟ̌dڌତ߉̈dԘ஺ʺ΂୕ჯЗໄd
              Hanneken also oversaw the vast British controlled Kaiping Mining Company, which   ᐏܔிɽஹᝄe۾ऎሊ̨॔ʘࠠ΂f1894ϋ11
              was the " rst successful large-scale e! ort to introduce Western technology and   ˜ʕ˚͠ʹ኷نᖑ೯dΈၫެ܎։΂ဏॶ࣬ჯ
              methods into industrial production in China. Von Hanneken married Detring’s   ᐼжმɝ̏ݱ˥ࢪ̂ᐼ઺୦ࡒਓ౤ຖdԨוፕ
                                                                                     ̂ԑٙ຾൬ձᛆɢdૐՉ੭ჯอࠏᏘᆖ˚ᅮf
              eldest daughter, Elsa, in 1895, thereby uniting these two prominent families (" g.
                                                                                     ್Ͼdࠗ׵ಃʫʤ̮ઋၫٙᏀɢdࠇྌ௰୞஗
              5).
                                                                                     Ꮮ૵d༹ኬߧࣚන̨॔ձ۾ऎሊ̨॔ଈ௘fᅃ
              Whilst Detring and von Hanneken’s professional endeavours in China are well   ᆪ೙ၾဏॶ࣬΍Ν౛၍ٙߵ༟Άุක̻ᘤପd
                                                                                     ݊ୋɓ࢕ҪГ˙ʈุҦஔˏආʕ਷ٙʮ̡fဏ
              documented, their collecting activities are less known. Collecting Chinese art
                                                                                     ॶ࣬׵1895ϋၾᅃᆪ೙ڗɾЎဧ୶€Elsaϓ
              appears to have been something for a hobby for both men - no doubt facilitated
                                                                                     ੎d݊މՇࡈᜑႺ࢕ૄٙҁߕᑌۿ€ྡʞf
              through their close working relationships with Li Hongzhang as well as their access
              to the Qing court, including to the Dowager Empress Cixi and to the Guangxu   ᅃᆪ೙ձဏॶ࣬ίʕ਷՟੻ٙϨ৵̌௶ѩϞ༉
              Emperor. Certain works from the collection were likely personally gifted to them   ୚ٙা༱d್Ͼ˼ࡁٙϗᔛฌλۍᒻމɛٝf
              by the Qing court, but collecting may well have also been a means of decorating

































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