Page 12 - Youngman jade Collection Hong Kong March 3 2019 Sotheby's

collected during her youth. Many were collected while traveling 家裏一年一度的傳統。當我們將禮物拆開之後，
with Aunt Elsie. These travels included a trip to China in the 1930s 母親會娓娓道出每件動物玉雕的來歷、故事，還
where she spent a year and a half traversing the enormous country,
a most unusual trip at that period of time for two unaccompanied 有背後的寓意及稀有程度。
women. As remembrances, she brought back a number of small 猶如命中註定，我的童年充滿了中國文化及風
carvings. It was an exciting yearly ritual for these carvings to be
produced for us to see. After unwrapping these small treasures 情。不只是我的高曾祖父和愛斯姨姥姥與中國結
one by one, she would tell us its story, explaining its symbolism 下緣分，中國後來也成為家父人生當中非常重要
and its rarity. Afterward, she would allow each of us to choose 的一部分。二戰時期，父親威廉姆•楊門，曾擔任
one to keep for ourselves. It was like having our own personal 中國防禦設備公司的負責人，亦即負責提供中華
museum.
民國空軍美籍志願大隊所有武裝及經濟資源。
It would appear that it was fate that my childhood was surrounded
with people and things Chinese. Not only was there the heritage 戰後，父親成為原於上海成立的史帶集團的執行
of Captain Forbes and Aunt Elsie but China would become 長。中國藝術品一直以來是我父母親畢生之戀，
an important part of my father’s life. During World War II, 並因此結交了許多來自中國的友人，如二戰結束
my father, William S. Youngman, was head of China Defense 後，宋子安博士曾贈父親一件青白玉雕梅花紋筆
Supplies, Inc., an organization responsible for the procurement and
financing of all military supplies for the volunteer air force, the 洗。
famed Flying Tigers. After the war, he became CEO of C. V. Starr 雖然我一直對中國藝術充滿熱愛，但直到在明
& Co., which had its origins in Shanghai before the war. Chinese
art continued to be a major interest in my parents’ lives and was 德大學為了完成畢業學分，才有幸的選修了羅伯
encouraged by their Chinese acquaintances. A jade brush washer 特•瑞夫教授所執教的亞洲藝術史課程。瑞夫教
in the shape of a plum blossom, was a gift to my father at the end 授集學者、藏家及亞洲藝術界權威於一身，他詳
of World War II from Dr. T. V. Soong. 細的講解賦予了藝術生命，使其意義更加豐富。
While Chinese art was one of my many interests, it was quite 教授經常從他口袋中拿出與上課內容相關之實
by chance that in order to fulfill a graduation requirement in the
arts at Middlebury College I took a course on Asian art taught by 例供學生參考，不 論是 唐 銅 鏡、宋瓷 或是清玉
Professor Robert F. Reiff. Professor Reiff, a scholar, collector, 雕，都日益增進我對中國藝術的了解。從此，我
and an authority on Asian art, made the art and its meaning come 對中國藝術的興趣加倍提高，並有了全新的理

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