Page 19 - September 11 2018 Junkunc Collection Sculpture

In the January 1938 edition of the art magazine Parnassus, Junkunc noticed an advertisement for John
Sparks Ltd illustrating a limestone relief fragment from the Longmen caves showing a luohan holding a
lotus blossom (Þ g. 1).

Junkunc tore out and kept this advertisement in his Þ les. Fifteen years later, on 3rd March 1953, Junkunc
wrote to Sparks reminding them of their advertisement and requesting that should the sculpture
ever become available, to contact him at once. Regrettably, Junkunc never managed to secure this
spectacular fragment. It was sold at auction in July 1970 to fellow Chicago-based collectors, James and
Marilyn Alsdorf, later sold by Eskenazi in London in 1978, and is today in the collection of the Cultural
Relics Bureau in Beijing. Nonetheless, Junkunc continued undaunted to form one of the greatest
collections of early Buddhist stone sculpture ever assembled in the West.

Mr. S. Junkunc, III Chicago, Illinois July 24, 1956

Dear Steve:
...As you are aware sculptures will be entirely out of the market within two years and the day will come
when the owner will be able to ask any price he wants as they do to-day on the Medieval sculpture...
Sincerely yours
Frank Caro

ट㦯㟙ɀ⧷㗜̶̓ٵ⩌ 㟊ߍ਒ зݖ䀫зጋ 1956Ꭱ7ᰵ24ᬒ
㻗ᙈ⮱ट㦯㟙
ćć
᜾ⰥԎᗕጟ㋀ⴒ䖀喑ں䕻ږᎡ喑䕍׼ᄴ఍◧䇴⎽⼭㑧㔹ᓋጯൡ̷ᓦᏂ⊵๞ȡᅳ᭯喑ጯൡ⮱䊝ाᄴ⩞᧮ᰶ㔲ᢹᤎ喑ͨᄻئᵩ喑ᅞ׼⤫ౕ⮱
⁽≟͚̓㈭䰂׼̭ὐȡ
ćć
ײઌ
ᑄ㭚ٸ•ࢎ㒲

1938Ꭱ1ᰵ喑⧷㗜ٵ⩌ⰸݝγ John Sparks Ltd ◧ ᭜喑䕆ᄷ㒲⑏׼᫩1970Ꭱ7ᰵౕ៺䈐ᰰ̷㷘䈐㊓γह
γაנ䕆ᄷⴠ▝ⴠ䰂㒲⑏ᠮ㨛׼ౕȨParnassusȩ㬊 ὐౕ㟊ߍ਒⮱㫼უJamesࣷ Marilyn Alsdorf ж٤喑
㶀䰉㾹᝭ܷ⮨⮱ᐐॷ ృ̭ ȡ ᒹҳࣵ᫩1978Ꭱ⩞՘᪓ऑ㦐ੳ Eskenazi 䑶᝸ਜ਼ܧ喑
⤫㫼᫩ࡄϙጯ᪴➖Ԋ䂤ᅭȡ䰃♎㌐ₑ㒲⑏׼喑⧷㗜
⧷ 㗜 ٵ ⩌ ិ 䕆 䴮 ᐐ ॷ ᓋ 䰉 㾹 ̷ ᧂ ̸ ͓ Ё ㉝ ᩣ
ٵ⩌͓᱗⅐丿喑ڣ䯕ᒹ᝭ᐧ⿸⮱ᬖ᱌҈᪆䕍׼⣺㫼
㫼ȡ1953Ꭱ3ᰵ3ᬒ喑Όᅞ᭜࡮ρᎡᒹ喑Ѓ㜡Ԏ
᜽◧γ㺬᫦ᰭ◧䛺㺮⮱ᩣ㫼͸̭ȡ
Sparks㾏੼㒲⑏׼᭜॓ᰶ≪䈩⮱ᾌᰰȡᒵजᘉ⮱

12 SEPTEMBER 2018 SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK 17