Page 282 - 2019 September 11th Sotheby's Important Chinese Art

CHINESE ART FROM THE COLLECTION OF

HENRY H. ARNHOLD

SOLD TO BENEFIT THE ARNHOLD FOUNDATION LOTS 843-881
HENRY H. ARNHOLD 珍藏中國藝術品

惠益於 ARNHOLD 基金會 編號 843–881

To have known and spent time with Henry Arnhold 能與Henry Arnhold相識、相知，實乃一件幸事。
was a great privilege.
他為人慷慨，思路敏捷，幽默風趣，自然流露暖意，
He had the most generous nature and the sharpest 與其相見，總是令人愉快。
mind, allied to an excellent sense of humour and a
natural warmth. The prospect of spending time with Arnhold畢生投入文化事業，沃爾特•格羅佩斯及阿爾
Henry could do nothing but raise your spirits. 伯特•愛因斯坦均曾到其位於德累斯頓的家中作客，
奧斯卡•柯克西卡亦然。Arnhold紐約的公寓裡充滿了
The pursuit of culture was a constant in Henry’s life
– Walter Gropius and Albert Einstein were visitors 藝術品，梅森瓷器是其最鍾情之品類，弗里克收藏更
to the Arnhold home in Dresden, as was Oskar Koko- 獲其捐予多件珍品。他求知若渴，涉獵範圍極廣，
schka. In New York, his apartment was full of works 家中牆上掛著柯克西卡、康丁斯基及克利的作品，
of art and, although his main interest was Meissen 他甚至還有一件亨利•摩爾的銅器經由摩爾本人幫他
porcelain, the Frick benefitting from an extensive 精心修復。
donation, his restless intellect led him into a myriad Arnhold常說，若非繼承了一批梅森瓷器，或許他會
of other areas. Works by Baumeister, Kandinsky and 是一名專注於亞洲藝術的收藏家。多年以來，他購入
Klee adorned his walls, and he even had a Henry 各式亞洲藝術品，所購瓷器多與其收藏之梅森瓷器相
Moore bronze that had been gently restored by 關。他收藏中的中國藝術品多購自知名古董商及拍賣
Moore himself, much to Henry’s surprise. 行，考慮購入之前，他會凝視對方雙眼，詢問為何應
Henry often said that had he not inherited a collec- 該購買該品。「因為喜歡」這個簡單答案多數不獲接
tion of Meissen, he would have been an Asian Art 受，然而他的品味出眾，兼且擁有偉大收藏家的敏銳
collector. Over the years Henry bought a broad range 直覺，故此總是覓得罕有珍品，同時他亦有純粹因為
of Asian works of art and was particularly interested 喜愛而購入的藝術品。本次拍賣之所呈，即能反映出
in ceramics that had a relationship with his own 他對於藝術的品味及學識。
Meissen porcelains. He bought Chinese antiques 今時今日，能擔當文藝復興者之稱號並不容
from many distinguished dealers and auctioneers, 易，Henry Arnhold卻是當之無愧。
and when he was considering a purchase he would
look deeply into your eyes and ask why he should Roger Keverne
buy it. “Because you like it” was not always accepted 2019年7月
as the easy answer, but Henry’s natural taste led him
towards rare objects of high quality and Henry had
the varied and sensitive instincts of a great collector.
He also bought some works of art simply because
he liked them, and they pleased or amused him. In
viewing the Chinese art in this sale, we can see the
breadth and depth of Henry’s knowledge and taste.

Henry Arnhold should rightly be described, in terms
not easily used today, as a Renaissance man.
Roger Keverne
July 2019

Henry H. Arnhold (1921-2018)
280 SOTHEBY’S