Page 5 - Sotheby's Dr. Wou Kiuan Collection CHINESE ART , Oct. 9, 2022

DR WOU KIUAN’S COLLECTION:

A MICROCOSM CAPTURING

CHINA’S GRANDEUR

REGINA KRAHL

微觀珍賞·中華盛世：吳權博士的藝術品收藏

康蕊君

he fine collection of ancient Chinese works of art presented here in part reflects
China’s past not only through its ancient artefacts, but equally through the 此組中國古代藝術珍品收藏，無論藏品本
Tstory of its formation. Its unusual realization is largely a product of historical 身，還是收藏集成背後之故事，在某程度上
events and tells of a man caught in the throes of history. The collector, Dr Wou Kiuan (Wu 都是中國歷史足跡的映照。收藏之集成來
Quan, 1910-1997) was born in China at the very end of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) into a 自一連串歷史事件，訴説藏家親歷山河變
遷、非凡時代的傳奇故事。吳權博士（Wu
well-connected and cultured family, his father actively involved in the country’s momentous
Kiuan，1910-1997年）生於清末，家族
transformation from Imperial rule to a Republic. As a young man in the 1930s, he followed
人脈廣泛，其父積極為中國從帝制走向共和
the natural path of China’s intelligentsia and went to study in Paris – like Zhou Enlai, Deng
的進程效力。1930年代，中國知識分子紛
Xiaoping and many other personalities that should later become illustrious, as well as many 紛遠赴巴黎留學，其中包括周恩來、鄧小平
Chinese artists such as Xu Beihong, Lin Fengmian, Sanyu and others, who widened their 等偉人，還有徐悲鴻、林風眠、常玉等藝術
stylistic horizons at French academies. After receiving a Doctorate of Law at the Sorbonne, 家在法國學界當中開拓風格視野。年輕的吳
Wou Kiuan was ready to enter a diplomatic career. He joined the Foreign Affairs Service of 權也順著風潮遠赴法國，他在索邦大學獲得
the meanwhile established Republican government of China and held posts in Paris and 法學博士學位後，準備開展其外交事業，加
入了中華民國政府的外交部，曾於巴黎及倫
London. Yet, the outbreak of the War made a smooth path in a profession such as that
敦任職。然而，第一次世界大戰爆發，讓國
illusory. With the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the government concentrated
際外交事業變得荊棘滿途。中華人民共和國
on the situation inland. Interest in international relations was limited as the country shut
成立後，政府集中處理內地局勢，對國際關
itself off, and hopes of a continuation of diplomatic service were practically nil. 係的興趣日減，吳權的外交工作無奈中斷。

What may seem like a rather dramatic personal situation, Wou Kiuan turned into an 面對戲劇化的個人狀況變遷，吳博士將之化
成新的轉機。他雖然身在異鄉，卻仍舊心懷
opportunity. Freed of time constraints, he started to study in depth the culture and
故土，他利用空出來的時間潛心研究中華文
civilization of his native country, from which he was now separated, but not estranged.
化。當時，中國的未來難料，吳博士因而下
Faced with what must have seemed like an uncertain future of this motherland, a 定決心，為後世珍存具有代表性的中國文
determination developed to preserve a representative selection of tokens of her culture, 物，作爲中華文化輝煌千年的縮影。
for foreigners as well as for future generations of Chinese, as a kind of microcosm
to reflect millennia of China’s grandeur.

Dr Wou Kiuan, circa 1946
吳權博士，約1946年

8 A JOURNEY THROUGH CHINA’S HISTORY THE DR WOU KIUAN COLLECTION PART II SOTHEBY’S HONG KONG 9