Page 16 - 2021 March 18th Junkunc Collection Christie's New York City

Chinese jade and professor at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Starting as early as
1950, Junkunc and Salmony discussed their shared passion for Chinese jades. Salmony had been
planning an encyclopedic two-volume history entitled Chinese Jades of All Periods and selected
pieces from Junkunc’s collection to be featured in the publication. Junkunc, along with English
collector Desmond Gure (1905-1970), contributed to the research. Salmony passed away before
the publication could be completed, but letters between Desmond Gure and Junkunc reveal that
Salmony entrusted Gure and Junkunc to complete his publication. The first volume was published
posthumously and was entitled Chinese Jade Through the Wei Dynasty, and included a number
of jade carvings in the present sale. Other important works from the Junkunc Collection included
in Salmony’s publication included an important Western Han dynasty jade beaker, which sold
at Christie’s New York in September 2006. (Fig. 3) Other masterpieces of Chinese jade in the
Junkunc Collection included an imperial set of ten white jades (Fig. 4) and a rare white jade figure
of Buddha (Fig. 5), which sold at Christie’s in March 2007 and March 2010, respectively.
With his breadth of collecting, exacting aesthetic standards and scholarly approach, Stephen
Junkunc, III was a true connoisseur-collector. On his passion and commitment to collecting,
Junkunc wrote: “it becomes a disease. But it’s the one thing in the world that never pales or
becomes static. It always holds the challenge of more to learn.”
The legacy of Stephen Junkunc, III has been preserved through his generous donations to
institutions throughout the United States. He frequently loaned works to the Art Institute of above:
Stephen Junkunc, III
Chicago, and bequests from his collection can also be found in the Milwaukee Public Museum
瓊肯三世
in Wisconsin and in the Lowe Art Museum at the University of Miami, Florida. His interest in
opposite above:
Chinese art was continued by his son, Stephen Junkunc, IV, who has judiciously overseen that the The Junkunc jade handled-cup
next generation of connoisseurs and enthusiasts would have the opportunity to enjoy many items (lot 626) and the yellow jade
fanghu (lot 624) in the current
of his celebrated collection. sale, as illustrated by Alfred
Salmony in Chinese Jade
Through the Wei Dynasty, New
York, 1963, pl. XXIX-1 and 3.
懷著兼收並蓄的博物之志、一絲不苟的審美態 瓊肯三世慷慨樂善，所贈予全美各大博物館的 本場拍賣耳盃（拍品626號）
及黃玉方壺（拍品624號）
度，以及深入透澈的學術精神，瓊肯三世洵為名 珍品，仍在續寫著他的畢生傳奇。他生前常將藏 著錄於薩爾莫尼《Chinese
副其實的鑑藏大家。對藝術收藏的不渝之情， 品借展於芝加哥藝術博物館，遺贈遍及威斯康 Jade Through the Wei
Dynasty》，
他曾揮筆直抒：「收藏使我不能自拔。它是世上 辛州的密爾沃基公立博物館和佛羅里達州的邁 紐約，1963年， 圖版XXIX-
少有從不退色或停滯不前的事業。我從中學之 阿密大學羅威（Lowe）藝術博物館。他對中國 1及3。
不盡。」 藝術的興趣現由愛兒瓊肯四世繼承。瓊肯四世 opposite below:
Alfred Salmony, 1937. © 2019
恪盡保管之職，審慎監督，為新一代鑑藏同好 Imogen Cunningham Trust
提供良機，傳承瓊肯家族的世紀名藏。 薩爾莫尼，1937年
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