Page 41 - Christie's Fine Chinese Paintings March 19 2019 Auction

FROM THE LAST STUDENT OF ZHANG DAQIAN
張大千最後門生珍藏

The owner of this couplet, James C Kung, was born in 1915
in Shanghai. With an active career in the fnancial feld, he
was branch president of the Bank of the Republic of China in
Bangkok, New York, and Tokyo; as well as branch president
and manager of the Chemical Bank in Taipei, Taiwan. Chinese
painting and calligraphy were his greatest passion in life, while
his wife, Janet Kung, taught herself oil painting. Most of the
paintings in his collection were gifted to James Kung by Zhang
Daqian in the 1970s, when Kung and his wife were residing in
Taipei. Prior to that, in a traditional Chinese Pupil Ceremony
in New York, Mr. Kung was accepted as Zhang’s last student.
The couple were frequent dinner guests at the artist’s home, and
it was there that they became part of the inner social circle which
remained true until and beyond the death of the venerated artist.
Their collection accompanied the Kungs across the Pacifc to
Alhambra, California.

龔健君，1915年生於上海，曾在金融行業長期擔任要職，歷
任中國銀行曼谷、紐約及東京分行行長，化學銀行臺北分行
副總裁。龔先生畢生酷愛中國書畫，其妻龔施藕娟更曾自學
油畫。他收藏系列中的作品大部分是1970年代，龔氏夫婦居
於台北期間，張大千先生親贈與夫婦二人。龔先生曾在紐約
的一個中國學生聚會上拜大千先生為師，有幸成為其關門弟
子。龔氏夫婦與大千先生師生情誼深厚，在台居住期間常至
張府赴宴，逐漸成為大千先生社交圈中重要的一份子。這份
真摯的情誼一直持續到大千先生辭世。龔氏夫婦的收藏作品
跟隨他們一起，從大洋彼岸遷至美國加州阿罕布拉。

Zhang Daqian with James and Janet Kung
張大千與龔氏夫婦

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ZHANG DAQIAN (1899-1983) 張大千 書法對聯 水墨紙本 立軸兩幅 一九七八年作
Calligraphy Couplet 題識：長嘯一聲山鳴谷應，回頭四顧海闊天空。書與健君仁弟。
Pair of hanging scrolls, ink on paper 戊午（1978年）秋日，八十叟爰。
Each measures 53 æ x 13 º in.(136.5 x 33.7 cm.) 鈐印：張爰之印、大千居士
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist 來源：直接得自畫家本人。
Dated autumn, wuwu year (1978)
Dedicated to Jianjun (James C. Kung) (2)
$15,000-25,000
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly from the artist.
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