Page 86 - September 23 to 24 Important Chinese Art Christie's NYC

Property from the

India House Collection

New York

(Lots 771–774)

‘India House is bound by every tradition with the adventurers of all ages Lodge and Cyrus Vance. Their meetings were held alongside India
who went down to the sea in ships.’ House’s world-class collection of maritime art and objects. First
begun by Dorothy Whitney and Willard Straight, the art collection
Christie’s is honored to sell the art collection of India House, a private grew to encompass marine pictures, model ships, maritime relics
club that has been a fixture of downtown Manhattan since the and Chinese works of art, which gave the club its stately atmosphere
early twentieth century. The Club’s Renaissance style building was and reminded members and guests of its purpose. For more
constructed by builder Richard Carman after the fire of 1835 and, information, see A Descriptive Catalogue of the Marine Collection to
previously housing Hanover Bank, Maitland and Company, the New be Found at India House (New York, 1935).
York Cotton Exchange and W.R. Grace and Company, the edifice has
remained essentially unchanged since its construction. Founded The following group of paintings were all acquired by India House
in 1914 by James A. Farrell and Willard Straight, India House was co-founder Willard Straight. Willard Straight was a significant figure
conceived as a meeting place for the interests for foreign trade and in the establishment of American business interests in China at the
its name paid homage to the Dutch West India Company, the first beginning of the 20th century. After graduating from Cornell in 1901,
colonizers of Manhattan. Farrell and Straight envisioned that “New Straight began his career in East Asia when he accepted a position
York should have a place, maritime in spirt, purpose and atmosphere, in Nanjing with the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs Service. In
where those interested in rebuilding a merchant marine worthy of 1906, at age 26, Straight was appointed consul general at Mukden in
American could meet.” In this vein, many leaders in foreign trade and Manchuria, China. When that appointment ended, he spent a number
worldwide commerce have since gathered at India House, including of years in Beijing and the United States working for various business
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Hopkins, Henry Morgenthau, Jr., James interests, finally returning to the United States in 1912. It was during
Byrnes, W. Averell Harriman, George C. Marshall, Henry Cabot Straight’s time in China that he acquired this group of paintings.

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