Page 15 - Christie's Fine Chinese Paintings March 19 2019 Auction
P. 15
Raymond A. Bidwell (1876-1954) practiced law in
Springfeld, Massachusetts, and served as a city
prosecutor from 1910-1911 and an assistant city
solicitor from 1914-1918. He also was a Trustee of
the Springfeld Library and Museums Association
from 1943 until his death in 1954.
As an undergraduate at Harvard College (1895-
1899), Mr. Bidwell purchased his frst Japanese
print and piece of Chinse pottery. These early
acquisitions sparked a life-long interest in
collecting. Mr. Bidwell selectively purchased a
few objects each year toward the goal of forming a
collection that traced the historical developments
of Chinese bronzes, pottery and porcelain. The
high quality of his taste is clearly demonstrated by
this superb Shang bronze fangyi.
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond A. Bidwell on the porch of their home at 16 Ridgewood Terrace,
Springfeld, Massachusetts. Photographer unknown.
The present fangyi as illustrated in The Raymond A. Bidwell Collection of Chinese Bronzes and Ceramics, Museum of Fine Arts, Springfeld, Massachusetts, 1965.
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