Page 6 - Christie's Asian Art Auctions PARIS December 2019

MORNING SESSION
LOTS 1-94

PROPERTY OF GENERAL ZINOVI PECHVOFF (1884-1966)
法國大使貝志高將軍 (1884-1966) 舊藏
[LOTS 1 to 6]

Zinovi Alekseyevich Pechkof was a Russian-born French general
and ambassador. His military and diplomatic career spanned
multiple continents over several decades, including a particularly
signifcant period from 1943-1945 in China. First dispatched as
Head of the French Military Mission to China, Pechkof was soon
promoted to the post of Ambassador, representing Free France to
the Nationalist Government (KMT) in Chongqing. During his tenure,
Pechkof built strong and lasting relationships at the highest levels
of the Nationalist Government. This was testifed to by Pechkof’s
1964 appointment by President Charles de Gaulle to act as a special
envoy to Chiang Kai-shek. Pechkof was given the sensitive task of
informing the Generalissimo that France was about to grant formal
diplomatic recognition to the People’s Republic of China, and had
been chosen on the basis of his previous working relationship with
Chiang in wartime.
During his time in China, Pechkof acquired a small but signifcant
collection of modern Chinese paintings, including works by Xu
Beihong, Guan Shanyue, Li Xiongcai, and Sun Zongwei. Two of these
works are recorded as gifts to Pechkof by prominent KMT Politicians,
underscoring his prestige in Chongqing’s political and cultural
circles. Owl and Sparrows by Li Xiongcai was gifted to Pechkof by
the KMT Minister of Education, Chen Lifu (1900-2001). While Tiger
by Guanshanyue was gifted to Pechkof on the 6 December 1945 in
Chengdu, by the recently appointed UNESCO Assistant Director and
Head of the International Culture and Education Ofice, Guo Youshou
(1901-1978).
After the war Pechkof wrote a meticulous inventory of his collections,
begun in 1949. This inventory was annotated by his heirs after his
death in 1966, clarifying the location of his possessions. All fve
paintings in this collection appear in this inventory. The works by
Guan Shanyue, Li Xiongcai and Sun Zongwei are identifed by
title, and the horse painted by Xu Beihong is recorded under Xu’s
Francophonic transliteration: “Ju Peon”.

貝志高曾為俄裔法國將軍兼大使。他長達數十年的軍事及外
交生涯橫跨幾大洲，其中就包括了中國1943-1945年間這一關
General Zinovi Pechvoff in the 1940s.
鍵性的歷史時期。他先被任命為法軍在華軍事任務總司令，
隨後很快被升任大使一職，代表“自由法國”與“重慶國民政府”
周旋。貝志高在其任期內與國民政府高層建立了穩固持久的
關系，隨後於1964年被戴高樂總統委任為蔣介石特使。憑借
貝志高之前在戰時與蔣介石的交集，他被委以一項十分敏感
的任務，即通知蔣法國將正式與中華人民共和國建交。
貝志高在華期間收藏的中國當代書畫規模雖小但水準不俗，
包括徐悲鴻、關山月、黎雄才、孫宗慰的作品。這些藏品中
的兩件獲贈於國民黨高級官員，表明著他當年在重慶官場和
文藝界的威望。其中黎雄才作品“貓頭鷹與麻雀”獲贈於國民
黨教育部長陳立夫 (1900-2001)，關山月的“虎”則是新晉任命為
聯合國教科文組織專員的國際教育和文化廳長郭有守 (1901-
1978)於1945年12月6日贈送的禮物。
貝志高從1949年起便一絲不苟地為他的藏品撰寫清單，在其
1966年過世後他的繼承人對清單進行了註釋，詳細標明瞭這
些財產的出處，此次五件畫作全部記錄在案。
Cover of General Zinovi Pechvoff‘s
inventory book started in 1949 where he
used to consign all his art transactions.

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