Page 206 - Sotheby's Asia Week March 2024 Chinee Art

CHINESE JADES FROM THE COLLECTION OF

ROBERT A. AND ELIZABETH COOKSON
LOTS 438–446

Robert A. 及 Elizabeth Cookson 伉儷收藏中國玉珍

編號438-446
As a young boy growing up in San Francisco in the 1930s, Robert’s sense of adventure, refined by experience serving
Robert ‘Bob’ Cookson (1922-2008) discovered his love for as a member of the 89th Infantry Division during World War
jade objects at Gump’s, the luxury home furnishing store II, as well interests in speedboat racing, and competitive
founded in San Francisco in 1861. As the gateway to Asia, San tennis, all served to compliment his active pursuit of jades
Francisco was known for welcoming an ever-growing Asian of exceptional material and workmanship. His wife Elizabeth
population, as well as for encouraging and fostering a growing (1922-2022) shared his love for adventure–and for tennis,
appreciation on the part of city residents for the cultural especially–joining him on trips abroad to add to their growing
and artistic heritage of the Far East. Gump’s capitalized on collection. It has been noted that it was in the 1970s that the
this growing interest in Asia and its treasures and, by 1933, collectors firmly settled on the path to collect white jade, as
aged only 11 years old, Robert could often be found in the Elizabeth had decided that she would prefer not to wear the
jade room, wandering about and marveling at the beauty expensive green jade jewelry that her husband had proposed
of the shimmering treasures, on his way home from the buying for her. The two decided that they would be much
nearby dentist. These early visits to Gump’s were influential happier traveling together, finding and purchasing the more
in developing the collector’s appreciation for and eventual reasonably priced jade carvings that eventually served as
connoisseurship of Chinese jade. the foundation of their collection. An article on the Cookson
jade collection, A Passion for White Jade: A San Francisco
Story authored by Sam Bernstein, a San Francisco-dealer
specializing in jade who had been the source of many of
their acquisitions, was published in Arts of Asia magazine,
September-October 2008.

Robert ‘Bob’ Cookson (1922-2008 年) 生長於二十世紀 Robert 富有冒險精神，部份源自二戰期間從軍經歷，
30年代的舊金山，兒時在當地豪華家居用品店Gump’s 當時他隸屬第 89 步兵師。此外他亦喜愛賽艇及網球
(1861 年) 啓業看到店内玉器便已深受吸引。在美 競技，與其致力尋覓頂級美玉之精神互相呼應。其
國，舊金山是通往亞洲之大門，亞洲人口聚居於此 妻Elizabeth (1922-2022) 與他同樣喜愛冒險，對網球
並持續增長。可以説，舊金山與東方文化及藝術傳 尤其熱愛，常與他前往各地遊歷，豐富二人之藝術
統獨有淵緣，許多人來到此處都自然而然對東方文 收藏。值得留意的是，他們在1970年代決定專注收
藝產生興趣。留意到客人對亞洲藝術品的需求日漸殷 藏白玉，Elizabeth 甚至不再佩戴丈夫饋贈之名貴翡
切，Gump’s大力發展此類精品，使得 1933 年年僅 11 翠首飾。兩人結伴四處尋訪比翡翠較爲價格合宜的
歲的Robert 便已常在歸家途中溜進Gump’s，在該店的 玉雕，並以之作爲收藏基礎。兩人藏品許多來自Sam
玉器部流連忘返，欣賞珍物瑩潤光華。這些童年經驗 Bernstein ，一位專營玉器的舊金山藝術商。其撰寫關
對他影響深遠，為他後來愛上中國玉器，最終成爲鑒 於Cookson 玉器收藏之文章《A Passion for White Jade:
藏家奠下基石。 A San Francisco Story》，2008 年 9 月至 10 月號於
《亞洲藝術》雜誌出版。

Robert A. (1922-2008) and Elizabeth (1922-2022) Cookson
Robert A. (1922-2008) 及 Elizabeth (1922-2022) Cookson 伉儷

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