Page 16 - Sotheby's Junkunc Collection March 2019

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 offered 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 fine 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 finely decorated pieces of the Ching dynasty’, along
with Ming pieces ‘in the Chinese taste’ such as ‘fine 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 difficult, and clair de lune of
the K’ang Hsi period.
With best regards

John Sparks

史蒂芬•瓊肯三世先生 芝加哥 伊利諾伊州 1953年2月13日

尊敬的瓊肯先生:
非常高興再次接到您的來信。我是多麼希望我可以為您提供那怕幾件您所想要的器物，但我想您也一定十分清楚，汝窰、官窰、哥窰以
及康熙天藍釉瓷器，這些都是極其罕見難尋的。

順頌商祺
John Sparks

瓊肯先生的陶瓷收藏皆是精挑細選的珍佳之品，冠列 董商信件往來內容窺知一二。1935年10月，先生致
西方最偉大的中國陶瓷收藏之一。先生曾擁有過兩件 信 W. Dickinson & Sons，要求商家尋找「品質上
汝窰盤。汝窰在中國陶瓷史上當屬至珍，傳世品僅知 乘」的康熙與雍正時期的紅釉、豇豆紅釉以及青釉的
八十七件，寥如晨星，而瓊肯先生有幸能入藏兩件， 適合展櫃尺寸的瓷器。1936年5月，在寫給 Bluett
實屬不易。自1940年代起，汝窰在拍賣市場上只出 & Sons 的信件中，也要求其尋找釉裏紅及豇豆紅釉
現過七次，其中即包括這兩件盤。其中的一件是瓊肯 瓷。1936年7月，先生去信 H.R.N. Norton，要求
先生於1941年從盧芹齋手上購得，後於1992年在紐 「給他寄送單色釉或繪工極好的清瓷的照片」，以及
約拍出了一百六十萬美金的天價，創下了當時的世界 「符合中國傳統品味的明瓷，如小巧精美的盌、高足
記錄，由香港資深藏家區百齡入藏。瓊肯先生獨具慧 盃、瓶等等。圖案不限，但屏除顏色不佳或畫工粗糙
眼，品位出眾，即使在早期，也可由他與倫敦知名古 的瓷器」。

14 JUNKUNC: ARTS OF ANCIENT CHINA