Page 14 - September 11 2018 Junkunc Collection Sculpture
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Stephen Junkunc, III: Portrait of a Collector
ट㦯㟙ɀ⧷㗜̶̓喟̭Ըᩣ㫼უ⮱ᩲθ
here are a handful of names in the world of Chinese art that are inextricably associated
with works of exceptional quality. Stephen Junkunc, III is amongst these luminaries.
TThe name itself is instantly evocative of a period during which some of the greatest
Chinese treasures came to America. The Junkunc name today serves as one of the most important,
and indeed desirable, provenances for Chinese art. Formed in America in the mid-20th century by
Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978), the Junkunc Collection at its height numbered over 2,000 examples
of exceptional Chinese porcelain, jade, bronzes, paintings and Buddhist sculptures; serving as a
testament to a period of unprecedented wealth of Chinese material available in the West, as well as to
an astounding intellectual curiosity and the means with which to buy internationally from the leading
dealers in the Þ eld.
Stephen Junkunc, III was born in Budapest, Hungary circa 1905, and emigrated to Chicago, Illinois as
a young child, where his father Stephen Junkunc, II (d. 1948), a tool-and-die maker, founded General
Machinery & Manufacturing Company in 1918. The company specialized in the manufacture of knife-
edge fuel nozzle heads. With the outbreak of World War II, General Machinery converted its shop for the
war e& ort and began manufacturing various aircraft parts, including B-29 hydraulic spools on behalf of
Ford Motor Company, who was sub-contracting work from engine maker Pratt & Whitney.
Alongside his role as manager and part owner of the company, Stephen Junkunc, III spent his free time
forming an extraordinary collection of Chinese art. With an unabated hunger for knowledge, Junkunc
was a voracious reader who studied the Chinese language and kept extensive libraries of Chinese art
reference books and auction catalogues at both his home and o< ce. Junkunc appears to have made his
Þ rst acquisitions in the early 1930s, apparently after having happened upon a book on Chinese art. It is
perhaps no coincidence that Junkunc’s initial collecting activity largely coincided with the establishment
of the Chicago branch of the reputable Japanese dealers Yamanaka & Co., Ltd., who opened a gallery
at 846 North Michigan Boulevard in 1928. Many of Junkunc’s early purchases came from Yamanaka,
and before long, he was buying directly from the leading London dealers specializing in Chinese art:
Bluett & Sons, W. Dickinson & Sons, H.R.N. Norton and, of course, John Sparks, seeking Þ ne examples of
porcelain for his collection.
ౕ͚స㬊㶀৮ᩣ㫼⩹喑ײᰶ◧᪥̺็⮱̭ψऺႄ㘪ํ Manufacturing Company),ᄵ䪭㸪䕍⛰⇦䵚ȡᒹ
Ҭϧ⿸ݨ㖜ᘠݝ䗐ψ㒻㊂⮱̺̓⣺喑ट㦯㟙ɀ ҳι✳⮩喑ڙथ䑶ಸ䪸⩌⩏ऱ⽛丈ᾌ䰣У喑ڣ͚
⧷㗜̶̓Ӭ᭜ڣ͚̭ȡ䕇㻭ڣᐧ⿸⮱⧷㗜ᩣ㫼喑ᄸ ࠲᠙᎘⺼➦ڙथ⩌⩏ᑂ᧻㸪䕍ੳᮛᘍڙथܳ࠲㊓ڣ⮱
Ⰾࡰऑ喑䯳๔Ⴤ喑⣺ຯ⏱⊤䖧⤍喑ᐐ㠒⊖╇ᭌ B 29⋟⏾䫒ȡ
䰟ȡٵ⩌ἰ㈭͚㥶䪸ઌ䥾䈋䌜ȡ᭯๔䛼͚స
⧷㗜̶̓⪣᭯䏘کڙथ䇍䇙ϧࣷ㋀⤳喑䪿᮴喑䚶 Opposite
㬊㶀৮⎔ڒ㺬喑ߍ๔γ㺬ᄺ͚స᪴ࡃ⮱γ㼐㜴
ᓰ͚స㬊㶀৮ᩣ㫼ȡٵ⩌Ⅿⴒ㠒⍡喑个䂭㓑ᰥ喑͓ Stephen Junkunc, III
㜵䋐喑ह᭯ऱ๔͚స㬊㶀৮ऑ㦐ੳౕస䯈ጯൡ̷Ό㶕
photographed together
ⵁ㓿͚᪴喑ౕڙथহѼუऱ㜗㽚⿸ృᰥ乕喑㫼๔䛼㬊
⤫≨䎺ȡٵ⩌䊮ₑᾌ㌐䯳䯲᪅喑ౕ倅ም᭯㫼৮᪥
with lot 15 in this sale,
㶀ࣰ㔰ᰥㅺࣷ䈐ృ䠱ȡ⧷㗜ٵ⩌ౕ1930ᎡА݊ڒ illustrated in the Chicago
䛼̭Ꮣ倅䖁ږࡰУᰶ久喑ڣ͚࠲᠙γ⨤கȠ⢶கȠ䱿
Tribune, 7th September
㫼す̭У͚స㬊㶀৮喑ᨇנ᭜◧Ѓ♎ᘼ䫀ᣒ㼥ݝγ
䞲கȠᰥ⪘হ҈᪆䕍喑㫼ᄣ㖇⣺喑㌍䕍γ̭Ը⦭♣
1952
̭᱙͚స㬊㶀ࣰ㔰ᰥㅺȡ1928Ꭱ喑ᆞ͚ੳᰰౕ㟊ߍ
̓⮱ᩣ㫼נȡ
㽚⿸ܳ㮌喑䕆ᄺٵ⩌ᬖᩣ㫼⮱ᐧ⿸ᰶ䲋፥Ⱑᣒ
ᄺ䴮
ट㦯㟙ɀ⧷㗜̶̓㈱1905Ꭱܧ⩌࠵➆ݖ⮱ጰ ⮱ᒞ䴬ȡ↿䕻็Ͳ喑ٵ⩌䪸Ⱑᣒᓋऱ๔᪓ऑ㦐ੳ
ट㦯㟙ɀ⧷㗜̶̓㜴᱙ൡ
䖁 Җ 喑 Ꭱ Ꭹ ᭯ 䌌 䯕 ❣ 㻗 ⼨ ℾ ݝ 㟊 ߍ ȡ ⧷ 㗜 ຯ Bluett SonsȠ8 Dickinson SonsȠH R
䈐㌕㮌15व⚔喑ܷȨ㟊ߍ
ἰ喍1948Ꭱ⩌喎◧ڤ㸪䕍ੳ喑ౕ1918Ꭱᐧ N Norton Вࣷ John Sparks ぶ㮂๔䛼䈩䇤৮䈗 䀃෴൞ȩ喑1952Ꭱ9ᰵ7ᬒ
⿸γ䕇⩕ᾌᷝ㸪䕍ڙथ (General Machinery & 㞜⮱⨤கȡ
1 12 JUNKUNC: CHINESE BUDDHIST SCULPTURE2 JUNKUNC: CHINESE BUDDHIST SCULPTURE