Page 16 - September 11 2018 Junkunc Collection Sculpture

The collection of Chinese ceramics from the Junkunc Collection ranks amongst the greatest
assemblages of porcelain ever formed in the West. The collection included two examples of the fabled
Ru ware, of which only eighty-seven examples in the world are known. These two dishes represented two
of the only seven examples of Ru ware to have been o& ered at auction since the 1940s. One of the Ru
dishes, purchased from C.T. Loo in 1941, set a new world record when it sold at auction for $1.6 million in
New York in 1992, and is today in the esteemed collection of Au Bak Ling. Junkunc’s discerning eye for
ceramics was well established even in his nascent years of collecting, as evidenced by a letter he wrote
to W. Dickinson & Sons in October 1935, requesting that they be on>the lookout for him for Kangxi and
Yongzheng period copper-red, peachbloom and celadon-glazed ‘cabinet pieces’ of ‘very Þ ne quality
only’. In May of 1936, he wrote to Bluett & Sons in London requesting that they continue to look for
underglaze-red and peachbloom pieces for him, and to H.R.N. Norton in July of 1936 asking that he ‘send
[him] photos of any nice pieces in monochromes or Þ nely decorated pieces of the Ching dynasty’, along
with Ming pieces ‘in the Chinese taste’ such as ‘Þ ne dainty bowls, stem cups, vases etc. of almost any
description, but not the clumsy types with poor color and hurried drawings’.

S. Junkunc, III, Esq. Chicago, Illinois February 13, 1953

Dear Mr. Junkunc:
It was indeed nice to hear from you again after such a long interval, and I only wish I were able to
supply you with even a few of the particular pieces you are asking for. I am sure you are perfectly
aware though that to obtain the Ju and Kuan and Ke pieces is extremely diffi cult, and clair de lune of
the K’ang Hsi period.
With best regards
John Sparks

ट㦯㟙ɀ⧷㗜̶̓ٵ⩌ 㟊ߍ਒ зݖ䀫зጋ 1953Ꭱ2ᰵ13ᬒ
ᄷ᪙⮱⧷㗜ٵ⩌

䲋፥倅㜵ں⁎ᣒݝᗕ⮱ҳԎȡ᜾᭜็叩ጹ᱈᜾जВ◧ᗕ᣽ӈ䗐ᕂᎫУᗕ᝭ᘠ㺮⮱க➖喑ѳ᜾ᘠᗕΌ̭Ⴧ࡮ܳ⌲ẇ喑↊⿝ȠჅ⿝Ƞ਒⿝В
ࣷᏤ⛆๖㫺䛶⨤க喑䕆ψ䘪᭜Ảڣ㒂㺸䰐ᄸ⮱ȡ
䴳䴹ੳ⺧
John Sparks

⧷㗜ٵ⩌⮱䮣⨤ᩣ㫼⮳᭜㇫ᠾ㉝䖥⮱⣺Ҡ͸৮喑ۍ݄ 㦐ੳԎУᒭҳڔღ⿧ⴒ̭ιȡ1935Ꭱ10ᰵ喑ٵ⩌㜡
㺬᫦ᰭն๔⮱͚స䮣⨤ᩣ㫼͸̭ȡٵ⩌ᰫ᧮ᰶ䕻ږУ Ԏ W Dickinson Sons喑㺮ⅯੳუᄸឫȪ৮䈗̷
↊⿝Ⱁȡ↊⿝ౕ͚స䮣⨤ट̷⪣ᆙ㜠⣺喑נ̓৮ײⴒ ΅ȫ⮱Ꮴ⛆㜴䯺ₐ᭯᱌⮱㈲䛶Ƞ䅴䅳㈲䛶Вࣷ䱿䛶⮱
ژ࡮̰У喑ᄒຯᮕᭌ喑㔹⧷㗜ٵ⩌ᰶᎥ㘪ڒ㫼ږУ喑 䖖वᆂ῰ᅧᄥ⮱⨤கȡ1936Ꭱ5ᰵ喑ౕᄘ㊓ Bluett
ᄓᆙ̺ᭀȡ㜗1940ᎡА䊤喑↊⿝ౕ៺䈐ጯൡ̷गܧ Sons ⮱ԎУ͚喑Ό㺮Ⅿڣᄸឫ䛶㷼㈲ࣷ䅴䅳㈲䛶
⤫䕻̰⁎喑ڣ͚ࢠ࠲᠙䕆ږУⰑȡڣ͚⮱̭У᭜⧷㗜 ⨤ȡ1936Ꭱ7ᰵ喑ٵ⩌ࣨԎ H R N Norton喑㺮Ⅿ
ٵ⩌᫩1941ᎡᓋⰔ㟦呸᝸̷䈩ᓄ喑ᒹ᫩1992Ꭱౕ㈽ Ȫ㊓Ѓჱ䔮૛㞟䛶ᝃ㎗ጒẢສ⮱⌲⨤⮱⚔❴ȫ喑Вࣷ
㈱៺ܧγ̭⮫ښ࡮㥙㒻䛾⮱๖ئ喑ޢ̸γ⪣᭯⮱̓⩹ Ȫこव͚సנ㊞৮ঠ⮱ᬻ⨤喑ຯᄼጔ㇫㒻⮱⯹Ƞ倅䋠
㽅䠱喑⩞仆⍜䇴⌞㫼უ࡭⮫咎ڒ㫼ȡ⧷㗜ٵ⩌⢕ڤᚔ ⯰Ƞ⨣ぶぶȡృᵵ̺䭽喑ѳᅼ䮑䵼㞟̺Ҡᝃ⪘ጒ㇄㈆
Ⱪ喑৮ѺܧⱫ喑ࢠҬౕᬖ᱌喑Όज⩞Ѓ㜴՘᪓ⴒऺऑ ⮱⨤கȫȡ

14 JUNKUNC: CHINESE BUDDHIST SCULPTURE