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宋代筆記 vol.80 南宋官窯圓洗:盧芹齋和繼承人Frank Caro的故事 - Southern Song Guan, C.T.Loo successor Frank Caro, Cleveland Museum of Art.



這件南宋官窯的底部顯示這個盆洗是在兩個同心圓排列的 17 個支釘上燒成的。這種做法非常有趣,也是南宋官窯早期常用的手法。


在台北故宮博物院就收藏有類似的盆洗,但器身更薄。有學者指出,較薄的這類南宋官窯是早期的作品,其論點主要是通過將來自北宋晚期藏於大英博物館的亞歷山大碗與南宋官窯的同類葵口碗作對比得出的結論。

The National Palace Museum in Taipei has a collection of similar washers, but with thinner bodies. Some scholars have pointed out that this thinner type of Southern Song kiln is an early work, and their argument is mainly based on the comparison of the Alexandre bowl from the late Northern Song dynasty, which is in the British Museum, with a similar bowl with a sunflower mouth from the Southern Song kiln.




台北故宮博物院南宋官窯早期葵口碗局部


官窯是南宋杭州官窯所燒製的官器。多層釉是這種器物的特徵。釉的總厚度可能大於支持它的泥身。本壺灰綠色的厚釉網狀分布著深褐色的裂紋,以及淺金褐色和無色的裂紋。


裂紋是在燒成後形成的,這是由於器身和釉面的膨脹和收縮率不同所致。宋人有意識地利用它來達到美學效果,並在冷卻過程中的不同階段進行染色。


盧芹齋 / Frank Caro


1928 年,盧芹齋聘請 Frank Caro(1904-1980 年)在他的紐約辦公室擔任畫廊助理和攝影師。Caro 最後擔任紐約 C. T. Loo & Company 的管理職務。1946 年,Loo 將巴黎 C. T. Loo & Cie. 的管理權轉讓給小女兒 Janine Emmanuel Loo,因為法國頒布了禁止外國人擁有企業的法律 (Lenain, G., 2013, p. 146)。



在 1940 年代,由於在中國的供應鏈開始變弱,盧氏的生意開始走下坡。儘管盧森堡在 1945 年獲得了中國最高級別的表彰,贏得了勝利勳章(Lenain, G., 2013, p.185),但他在中國的命運卻突然發生了轉變。1948 年 7 月 29 日,上海博物館沒收了 17 箱屬於盧武古董公司、運往巴黎的中國古董(Lenain, G., 2013, p.189)。這次沒收之後不久,盧被指控偷竊中國藝術品,剝奪中國的文化遺產。盧氏為自己辯護,他在《藝術新聞》雜誌上寫道,他從未從遺址移走文物,而是在公開市場上購買古物。他進一步為自己的行為辯護,指出他出售的作品將在世界各地「為後代保存」。Loo 為他出售的中國古物鳴鑼開道,他說:「我堅信所有的藝術作品都應該被保存下來:


我堅信所有的藝術作品都是無國界的。它們就像無聲的大使,到世界各地去,讓其他人了解中國人和中國的偉大文化。(《藝術新聞》,1950年)


巴黎小紅樓(pagoda)


盧隨後被禁止回國。在此聲明之後不久,上海市文物管理委員會沒收了留在盧上海倉庫的三千多件藏品(Zheng, C., 2003, pp.) 這些戲劇性的事件讓盧鍇改變了他的經營模式。


在他的中國存貨被扣押後,盧關閉了 C. T. Loo & Company,並開始以 C. T. Loo, INC 的名義獨家經營。1950 年 3 月,他正式宣布從 C. T. Loo & Company 退休,並將紐約的存貨清盤出售。此時,他以 C. T. Loo, INC. 的名義營運,將個人資產與公司資產分開。不知何故,Loo 改變了主意,決定繼續經營他的畫廊。


1952 年 9 月 1 日,Loo 在紐約和巴黎重新開設了兩家獨立運作的畫廊。法蘭克‧卡羅 (Frank Caro) 是盧氏超過 25 年的助手,他以 C. T. Loo Chinese Art 的名義管理紐約分店,而 Janine Emanuel-Loo 則在 Michel Berudeley (1911-2012) 的協助下,繼續管理巴黎畫廊 C.T. Loo & Cie., Art Ancien de Chine。


1952年之後,盧氏部分退休,但仍繼續與客戶通信、鼓勵購買,並為紐約與巴黎畫廊的經理人提供建議。1953 年,在吉美國家亞洲藝術博物館館長 Jeannine Auboyer (1912-1990) 的協助下,盧嘉勒開始撰寫回憶錄,但尚未完成。在這份未完成的手稿中,盧氏敘述了他在中國古董銷售方面的先驅努力,儘管是以美化的方式。



盧氏於 1957 年逝世後,他的遺產得以延續。Loo 家族繼承了紐約和巴黎的 C. T. Loo & Company,畫廊由 Frank Caro 和 Janine Emanuel-Loo 管理。Frank Caro 將畫廊重新命名為 C. T. Loo Chinese Art。


1961 年,盧氏繼承人與 Caro 發生爭執,具體內容至今不明,導致 C. T. Loo Chinese Art 關閉,並在 Park Bernet Galleries 拍賣公司股票。Caro 透過拍賣會或與盧氏家族的私人協定購入藏品,並繼續銷售中國古董,其中包括盧芹齋最初從中國帶出的藏品。



以 Frank Caro Chinese Art 的名義經營,客戶繼續稱 Caro 的畫廊為 C. T. Loo & Company,直到 1980 年代關閉為止。


在巴黎,Jeanine Emmanuel-Loo 繼續掌管畫廊,交替使用 C. T. Loo & Cie, Art Ancien de Chine;C.T. Loo & Cie., Arts d'Asie;以及 Galerie C. T. Loo & Cie。2002 年,盧氏家族決定透過佳士得拍賣會出售寶塔及其內含物品,然而在最後一刻卻選擇不進行拍賣。寶塔則繼續關閉 (Lenain, G., 2013, 255)。C.T. Loo 的商業帝國隨著這次關閉而正式結束,但他的事業遺產仍在繼續。



In 1928, Loo hired Frank Caro (1904-1980) as a gallery assistant and photographer in his New York office. Caro ultimately took on managerial responsibilities at C. T. Loo & Company, New York. In 1946, Loo transferred the management of C. T. Loo & Cie., Paris to his youngest daughter Janine Emmanuel Loo, as France enacted a law prohibiting foreign nationals from owning businesses (Lenain, G., 2013, p. 146).


Through the 1940s, Loo’s business began to decline as his supply chains in China began to weaken. Even though Loo, in 1945, received China’s highest level of recognition, earning the Order of Victory (Lenain, G., 2013, p. 185), his fate in China took a sudden turn. On July 29, 1948, the Shanghai Museum confiscated 17 crates of Chinese antiquities belonging to Lu Wu Antiquities Company that were bound for Paris (Lenain, G., 2013, p.189). Shortly after this seizure, Loo was accused of stealing Chinese art and depriving China of its cultural heritage. Loo defended himself, writing in the journal Art News, that he never removed objects from sites, rather he purchased antiquities on the open market. He further defended his actions, noting that the works he sold would “be preserved for posterity” around the world. Loo championed his sale of Chinese antiquities, stating:


I firmly believe that all works of art have no frontier. They go around the World as silent ambassadors, enabling other people to understand the great culture of the Chinese and  China. (Art News, 1950)


Loo was banned from returning to the country. Shortly after this declaration, the Shanghai Municipal Committee of Relics Management confiscated more than 3000 objects that remained in Luwu’s Shanghai warehouse (Zheng, C., 2003, pp. 414-415). These dramatic events led C. T. Loo to change his business model.


After the seizure of his Chinese inventory, Loo closed C. T. Loo & Company and began operating exclusively as C. T. Loo, INC. In March of 1950, he formally announced his retirement from C. T. Loo & Company and a liquidation sale of his New York inventory. At this time, he operated as C. T. Loo, INC., separating his personal and business assets. For unknown reasons, Loo changed his mind and decided that his galleries should carry on.


On September 1, 1952, Loo reopened his galleries as two separately functioning branches in New York and Paris. Frank Caro, his assistant for more than 25 years managed the New York branch as C. T. Loo Chinese Art and Janine Emanuel-Loo continued managing the Parisian gallery, C.T. Loo & Cie., Art Ancien de Chine with the assistance of Michel Berudeley (1911-2012)


After 1952, Loo partially retired, though he continued to correspond with clients, encourage purchases, and advise both the managers of the New York and Parisian galleries. In 1953, C. T. Loo began – but did not complete – writing his memoirs with the assistance of Jeannine Auboyer (1912-1990), curator of the National Asian Arts Museum — Guimet. In this unfinished manuscript, Loo recounts – albeit in an embellished manner – his pioneering efforts in the sale of Chinese antiquities.


After Loo’s death in 1957, his legacy carried on. The Loo family inherited C. T. Loo & Company, New York and Paris and the galleries operated under the management of Frank Caro and Janine Emanuel-Loo. Frank Caro renamed the gallery C. T. Loo Chinese Art. In 1961 a disagreement – the specifics of which remain unknown – between the Loo heirs and Caro, leading to the closure of C. T. Loo Chinese Art and an auction of the company’s stock at the Park Bernet Galleries. Caro purchased objects either through the sale or in a private agreement with the family and continued to sell Chinese antiquities, counting objects that C. T. Loo originally brought out of China amongst his stock.


Operating as Frank Caro Chinese Art, clients continued to refer to Caro’s gallery as C. T. Loo & Company until its closure in the 1980s.


In Paris, Jeanine Emmanuel-Loo continued to steward the gallery, known interchangeably as C. T. Loo & Cie, Art Ancien de Chine; C.T. Loo & Cie., Arts d’Asie; and Galerie C. T. Loo & Cie. In 2002, the Loo family decided to sell the Pagoda and its contents through Christie’s, however, at the last moment chose not to proceed. The pagoda, however, remained closed (Lenain, G., 2013, 255). The C.T. Loo business empire officially ended with this closure, but the legacy of his endeavors continues. 


Basin

官窯圓洗

1127–1279


The base shows that the basin was fired on 17 small spurs arranged in two concentric circles.


Description

Guan ware was the official ware fired at the Southern Song imperial kilns in Hangzhou. Multiple glazing is characteristic of this ware. The total thickness of the glaze can be greater than the clay body that supports it.


Here, the thick gray-green glaze is webbed with a wide network of dark brown crackles as well as finer webs of light golden-brown and colorless crackles. The crackle pattern was developed after firing, due to the different rates of expansion and contraction of the body and the glaze. It was consciously exploited to achieve an aesthetic effect and was stained at different stages during the cooling process.



Provenance


Men-Chu Wang, Seller's no. 36


?–1957 (Frank Caro [1904–1980], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)


1957– The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH



Citations


The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 849


Milliken, William M. "Early Byzantine Silver." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 45, no. 3 (1958): 35–94. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 78


Mayuyama, Junkichi 繭山順吉. Chinese Ceramics in the West: Compendium of Chinese Ceramic Masterpieces in European and American Collection [欧米蒐蔵中国陶磁図錄]. Tokyo: Mayuyama & Co, 1960. Reproduced: pl. 51


The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966.

Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 257


The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 257


Gakuji Hasebe 長谷部楽爾, ed. Tōji [陶磁= Ceramics]. Vol. 5 in Chūgoku bijutsu [中國美術 = Chinese art in western collections]. Suzuki, Kei 鈴木敬, ed. Tōkyō: Kōdansha, 1972. Mentioned and Reproduced: Vol. 5, color pl. 43


Hasebe, Gakuji 長谷部楽爾, et al. Sō [宋 = Sung dynasty]. Tokyo: Shōgakkan, 1977. Reproduced: fig. 78


The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 339


Kleinhenz, Henry J. "Porcelains for Imperial Use: The Sung Dynasty." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 65, no. 4 (1978): 135–150h. Reproduced: fig. 17, a


Neils, Jenifer. The World of Ceramics: Masterpieces from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Museum in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1982. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 110


Hasebe, Gakuji 長谷部楽爾. Sōji: shinpin to yobareta yakimono [宋磁: 神品とよばれたやきもの = Song ceramics]. Japan: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1999. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 96, cat. no. 59


Chung, Anita. "A Connoisseur's Eye, A Scholar's Mind: The Legacy of Sherman Lee." Orientations vol. 40, no. 5 (2009). Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 32, fig. 6


Franklin, David and C. Griffith Mann. Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2012. Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 92–93


Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 102

Cleveland Museum of Art. Museum Masters: 2016-17 Companion Guide. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2016. Mentioned and Reproduced: P. 33



Exhibition History


China's Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10, 2023-January 7, 2024).

Streams and Mountains Without End: Asian Art and the Legacy of Sherman E. Lee at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 27-August 23, 2009).


Song Porcelain. Tobu Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan (March 6-April 13, 1999); Museum of Oriental Ceramics Osaka, Japan (April 25-June 13, 1999); Hagi Uragami Museum, Yamaguchi (June 20-August 15, 1999).


Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 8, 1991).


台北故宮博物院



北京故宮博物院


【官窑青釉圆洗】  

新00140952



官窑青釉圆洗,宋,高6.4厘米,口径22.5厘米,足径19厘米。  洗敞口,器身近直,洗里坦平,圈足矮宽,底部边沿露胎无釉。造型端庄典雅。通体施青釉,釉呈粉青色,纯净莹澈。釉面上,金丝般的开片纵横交织,片纹间又闪现出条条冰裂纹,优美和谐。  


这件宋代官窑圆洗是宋时宫廷御用器,在造型、工艺及装饰技巧方面都十分考究,尤以釉色及片纹突出。在釉层较薄的器口或未被釉层遮盖的器底部分,形成“紫口铁足”,使器物愈显古朴庄重。  



清代乾隆皇帝尤为喜爱,曾为此洗拟诗一首,由皇家玉作匠师以楷书镌刻于洗之外底。


诗曰:  

修内遗来六百年, 喜他脆器尚完全。  

况非髻垦不入市, 却足清真可设筵。  

讵必古时无碗制, 由来君道重盂圆。  

细纹如拟冰之裂, 在玉壶中可并肩。  


下署“乾隆御题”。





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