Page 7 - Tabor Collection Christie's New York April 10 2019

n a quiet, leafy street near the heart of a major Latin American capital city a discreetly chic,
vine-covered house guarded one of the world’s most signifcant collections of Chinese export
I porcelain. Stepping across the threshold of this house, the longtime residence of an old
and distinguished family, one entered a world of cultivated connoisseurship, elegant living and
courtly hospitality. And the magnifcence of the collection within was equaled by the charm of
the collector, an unfailingly gracious man whose acute sense of beauty was honed by his keen
interest in the history of the China trade and of his region.
The great pleasure this collector took in his fnds - whether a magnifcent pair of ‘soldier’ vases
or a small, amusing biscuit fgure - was infectious, and his many guests always found laughter
and learning in his rooms and at his table, where excellent food and drink were served from
18th century silver and glass while large animal tureens and exquisitely enameled jars looked on.
Each visit would reveal not only new pieces in the collection but also new arrangements on the
handsome tables or on the silk-hung walls, each creating an intriguing dialogue between diverse
works of art united by their quality and appeal.
The collector’s interest in Chinese export porcelain was broad and included much classic
European subject, blue and white, famille rose and armorial porcelain. He had a special fondness
for beautifully sculpted birds, a fock of which dotted the walls of his favorite sitting room, and
for amusing porcelain dogs. He assembled an incredible array of bird and animal tureens and
amassed what is probably the largest group of ‘soldier’ vases since these impressive porcelains frst
arrived in Europe in the 18th century. He adored large jars of all kinds – tibores - refecting his
deep appreciation for the porcelain carried by the Manila galleons to New Spain and Spain in
the China trade period.
In this frst of a series of sales we invite collectors to enjoy the opportunity to share in the very
special vision of the Tibor Collection.
Becky MacGuire

Juan van der Hamen y León, Still life with Artichokes, Flowers and Glass Vessels, 1627, Spanish School
Courtesy Museo del Prado, Madrid