Page 19 - The Parry Collection Bonhams London November 2 2021

Bluett & Sons Ltd., The Liddell Collection of Old Captain W. F. Collins (1865-1948) Bluett & Sons Ltd., The Wong Collection of Ancient
Chinese Porcelain, London, 1929 Chinese Jades, London, 1930

were six of these in Bluett’s exhibition. Now highly sought shaped lacquer cup and cover, dated by inscription to 1776
after, these cups cost at the time just £10 each. and bought from Spink in June 1933 for just £25 was no.2957
in the Exhibition. In Sotheby’s sale of May 29th 1962 Sir
November 1935 saw the opening at Burlington House, Percival David’s identical covered cup was wrongly stated as
London of the International Exhibition of Chinese Art. By far having been no.2957 in the Exhibition, an attribution which
the most important exhibition of its type ever to have been has followed it through Sir Harry Garner’s collection to its
held in the west, it completely changed the perception of present home at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The sixth of
Chinese art for many people. Very much the brain-child of Sir Parry’s loans to the Exhibition was the cloisonné enamel table
Percival David (1892-1964), members of the Oriental Ceramic screen (Catalogue no.2002), bought from Spink in December
Society were involved with the organisation of the event, and 1923. This was exhibited alongside a group of cloisonné
with the selection of the objects from collections all over the enamel vessels from the Chinese Imperial Collection.
world. The largest group of pieces were from the Chinese
Imperial Collection, never before seen outside China. The The Parry Collection was cherished and expanded by his
second largest selection came from the Collection of Sir son Geoffrey Norman Parry (1917-1978) and his wife Randi
Percival David, never shown in public before. These included Parry (1923-2013), who continued to acquire pieces for the
a group of Chinese works of art as well as several early Ming Collection from Spink & Son – most notably the carved
lacquer vessels. Sir Percival’s taste was highly intellectual, lacquer brushpot with an Imperial poem by the Qianlong
and he was very well versed in Chinese texts concerning the Emperor, acquired on 29th April 1961 for £75. Except for the
criteria for forming a collection. presentation of six pieces from the Collection in the seminal
The quality of the Parry Collection must have been known in 1935 Royal Academy Exhibition and its Catalogue, the Parry
Collection remained out of sight, prized by the family for
London collecting circles, and no less than six pieces were three generations.
chosen from the Collection for the Exhibition, the majority
of which were undoubtedly of Imperial quality. The lobed From the perspective of an historian of collecting it is of
Beijing enamel teapot was exhibited along with a finely great interest to see this group of fine objects, preserved
painted quadrangular vase (Catalogue nos.2191 and 2187), together for almost a century. For all but one or two of the
the former, acquired by Mrs Parry from Spink & Son on 30th most important items the original purchase invoices have
September 1925 for £145, and the latter possibly the ‘Chinese survived, so that we may know when and where they were
enamel vase on stand’ bought by Mr Parry from J.C. Vickery bought, and how much was paid for them. Also importantly,
of Regent Street in August 1924. The remarkable Kingfisher they demonstrate the remarkable partnership in collecting
feather panels (Catalogue nos.2500 and 2511), formerly in a of husband and wife, firstly and foremostly Mr and Mrs E.A.
Russian diplomatic collection, had been bought from Spink Parry and then Mr and Mrs G.N. Parry – adding a further
in July 1926 for £225. The Parry very fine chrysanthemum- chapter to the history of collecting Chinese art in Britain.

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