Page 15 - 2019 September 10th Sotheby's Important Chinese Art Jades, Met Museum Irving Collection NYC

䲸 ἃ INTRODUCTION
䲬 伭
⣏ ΐ THE FLORENCE AND HERBERT
悥 㕗
㚫 ⍲ IRVING COLLECTION
喅 崓 AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM
埻 ỗ
⌂ 䈡 OF ART
䈑 ɀ
棐 㫸 Maxwell K. Hearn, Douglas Dillon Chairman, Asian Art, The Metropolitan Museum
暚 ỽヽ㔯ġġ⣏悥㚫喅埻⌂䈑棐Ṇ㳚喅埻悐忻㟤㉱㕗ɀ䉬漵悐攟
ằ
⃟
㓞 On Monday, March 16, 2015, the Metropolitan Museum announced the gift of ijıIJĶ⸜Ĵ㚰IJķ㖍㗇㛇ᶨ炻䲸䲬⣏悥㚫喅埻⌂
啷 1,275 Asian works of art from Florence and Herbert Irving—a donation that 䈑棐⭋Ự炻ἃ伭ΐ㕗⍲崓ỗ䈡ɀ㫸暚ằ⃟
fundamentally transformed the holdings of the Museum’s Department of ㋸岰IJĭijĸĶẞṆ㳚喅埻⑩Ḱ㛔净炻㬌枭㋸䌣
Asian Art. ⮵Ṇ㳚喅埻棐啷⼙枧㶙怈⺋⣏ˤ
㴰〗⭋Ự㗪炻㬋ῤ㛔净Ṇ㳚喅埻悐攨∝䩳
The occasion of the announcement was the celebratory launch of the
ᶨ䘦␐⸜䲨⾝ˤ㫸暚ằ⃟ḴṢ奒幓夳嫱忶
centennial of the Museum’s Department of Asian Art. Herb and Florence
⍣ᶨᶾ䲨䘬姙⣂慵⣏ḳ嶉炻㛇攻㚱ᶨ⋲㗪
personally witnessed most of that century and for nearly half of that time
攻ṾᾹ⮰㲐㕤Ṇ㳚喅埻⑩㓞啷揹岆炻徸㻠
they built one of the most extensive collections of Asian art anywhere.
⺢䩳崟ℐ䎫㚨⣏䘬Ṇ㳚喅埻㓞啷ᷳᶨˤ
The Irvings’ love a! air with Asian art dates back to the early 1970s.
㫸暚ằ⃟冯Ṇ㳚喅埻䘬㶝㸸⥳㕤IJĺĸı⸜ẋ
Florence, who said she must have been Chinese in a former lifetime, was
⇅㛇ˤ䔞㗪炻ἃ伭ΐ㕗炷⤡ᶨ䚜娵䇚冒
earning a master’s degree in education after having been elected to the
⶙⇵䓇㗗ᷕ⚳Ṣ炸∃䌚怠ㆸ䇚冲杳㕗䈡ỗ
Old Westbury school board. On her way to school, she often passed the
慴⬠㟉吋ḳ㚫ㆸ⒉炻晐⌛攳⥳㓣嬨㔁做䡑
o" ce of the landscape architect Shogo Myaida (Maeda, 1897-1989). One
⢓⬠ỵˤ⚆㟉徼ᷕ炻⤡ⷠ䴻忶⚺㜿⺢䭱ⷓ
day she visited the o" ce and struck up a friendship with Mr. Myaida. Soon, ŔũŰŨŰġ ŎźŢŪťŢ炷⍇⥻ŎŢŦťŢġ İġ ⇵䓘炻IJĹĺĸĮ
she was planning a Japanese garden in their front yard. On a trip to Japan IJĺĹĺ⸜炸䘬彎℔⭌炻䳪㕤㚱ᶨ⣑炻⤡⮰
to scout for stone lanterns and other garden ornaments, Florence and 䦳㊄姒ŎźŢŪťŢ⃰䓇䘬彎℔⭌炻⼴Ἦㆸ䇚⤥
Herb were advised by their decorator to look up the art dealer Alice Boney ⍳炻㍍叿妰∫⛐ỵ㕤œŰŭŭŪůŨġ ʼnŪŭŭġ ōŢůŦ䘬⭞
(1901-1988). As Herb relates, an initial dinner with Ms. Boney turned into ⚺⇵昊⺢䭱㖍⺷剙⚺ˤḴṢ⛐⇵⼨㖍㛔⮳
a full week of visiting temples, gardens, and other sites together. Thus was 夻䞛䅰䰈⍲℞⬫⹕昊墅梦ᷳ晃炻䴻⭌ℏ姕
born a remarkable friendship. For many years afterwards, Ms. Boney would 妰ⷓ⺢嬘炻⛐䔞⛘⮳姒⎌吋⓮ッ渿䴚ɀ漸
routinely send artworks to the Irving home, allowing them to have their pick 侸炷IJĺıIJĮIJĺĹĹ⸜炸ˤġ崓ỗ䈡ㅞ徘炻ṾᾹ冯
of what was sent. Very few works of quality ever exited their door. 漸侸⤛⢓⇅忯ℙ忚㘂梸⼴炻晐⌛剙㔜␐㗪
攻⍫奨⺇⬯ˣ⹕⚺⍲℞⬫⎵⊅炻㚜冯ᷳ䳸
Another important friendship initiated by the Irvings was with James C.
ㆸ⤥⍳ˤ℞⼴䘬姙⣂⸜攻炻漸侸⤛⢓⛯⭂
Y. Watt. Florence and Herb Þ rst introduced themselves to James shortly
㛇⮯喅埻⑩忳復军㫸暚⹄ᶲὃ℞㊹怠炻℞
ᷕ䱦⑩⣏⣂ㆸ䇚ḴṢ䘬䍵啷ˤġ

CHINESE ART FROM THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART: THE FLORENCE AND HERBERT IRVING GIFT 13