Raymond F.A. Riesco (1877-1964)
Raymond Riesco’s father was from South America, while his mother was Scottish. Family tradition has it that they met on a bus. Born in England, the eldest of four children, Raymond Riesco was christened Ramon Francesco Alfredo Riesco, but he later anglicised his given names to Raymond Francis Alfred, keeping only his surname in its original form. To his friends he was Jimmy Riesco.
里埃斯科 (Raymond F.A. Riesco，1877-1964） 父母分別來自南美洲和蘇格蘭。據家人憶述，二人是在公共汽車上邂逅的。里埃斯科出生於英格蘭，在家中四個孩子中排行老大，領洗時命名為「Ramon Francesco Alfredo Riesco」。他其後易名為「Raymond Francis Alfred」，惟其姓氏始終如一，「Jimmy Riesco」則是朋友對他的昵稱。
An extremely able businessman, who worked as an insurance broker, Riesco was introduced to the firm of Price Forbes in the City of London, with the suggestion that he could run the firm, which he went on to do with Mr. Forbes until he retired.
里埃斯科是保險經紀人，後經引荐加入倫敦的Price Forbes公司，並加入管理階層。他應邀加盟後一直為該公司效力，直至退休為止。
In 1925 Riesco bought ‘Heathfield’ near Croydon. Both the house and grounds had been somewhat neglected but Riesco expended considerable funds and effort in restoring them, creating a garden that was greatly admired by visitors. Riesco and his wife enjoyed entertaining and welcomed visitors from all over the world, including, as his daughter recorded, a Mr. Fabergé, son of the famous Russian court jeweller. After Riesco retired in 1954 he took over the management of the farm which was part of the estate and ‘ran it as a model farm’.
1925年，里埃斯科購入克羅伊登附近的宅邸 Heathfield House。當時，宅院和庭園均年久失修，里埃斯科投入了大量資金，將之修葺一新，並新建了一所花園，訪客皆讚不絕口。里埃斯科伉儷以好客聞名，常熱情款待來自世界各地的友人，據他女兒憶述，連舉世知名的俄國宮廷珠寶首飾工匠法貝熱也是座上客。里埃斯科於1954年退休後，親自打理其宅邸的農場，將之「打造成模範農莊」。
Riesco had many interests outside the insurance business. He and his wife enjoyed travelling - particularly to the United States, Canada and South Africa where his wife had a sister. He was an acknowledged authority on philately, and also had a collection of watercolours and etchings. It was not until 1935 that he turned his attention to the collection of Chinese ceramics, going on to build a fine collection, concentrating on the ceramics of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, but including pieces from the earlier periods. From 1951 to 1961 he served on the Council of the Oriental Ceramic Society, to which he was also a generous contributor.
里埃斯科雖從事保險業務，但工作之餘興趣廣泛。他和妻子熱愛旅遊，尤喜美國、加拿大和南非（其夫人有一名姐妹在當地定居） 等地。他是個公認的集郵專家，並擁有可觀的水彩畫和版畫珍藏。直至1935年，里埃斯科始對收藏中國陶瓷產生濃厚興趣，並逐漸建立起一批以明瓷和清瓷為主的珍藏，藏品中亦不乏早期的作品。於1951至1961年間，他一直出任東方陶瓷學會理事，且一直是該會的主要捐助人。
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Xuande fine blue and white porcelain
宣德青花瓷 |
Christie’s will offer a group of 24 works from The R.F.A. Riesco Collection of Important Chinese Ceramics in Hong Kong on 27 November 2013. These very fine works - which are predominantly Ming dynasty (1368–1644), as well as Qing dynasty (1644-1911) examples and monochromes from the Early period (11th - 13th century) - come fresh to the market with strong provenance. They were collected and personally catalogued over almost three decades by the businessman and passionate collector of Chinese ceramics Mr Raymond F.A. Riesco (1877-1964). The collection came into the ownership of the London Borough of Croydon when the council purchased Mr Riesco’s home, Heathfield House, and surrounding land in Addington, South London, in 1964. From the total 230 works in The Riesco Collection 24 pieces are now being offered for sale with proceeds to be invested in Croydon’s cultural infrastructure. These works will tour to Hong Kong, London and Taipei ahead of the auction in Hong Kong, where they are expected to realise in excess of HK$113 million/US$14 million. The majority of the collection, comprising 206 other works spanning the Neolithic period to the 19th century, will remain in the Riesco Gallery in the Croydon Clocktower where they are already on free public view.
佳士得將於2013年11月27日隆重呈獻24件英國里埃斯科珍藏重要中國瓷器，此批珍藏以明代瓷器為主，當中還包括了清代瓷器及早期單色瓷，每件藏品皆來源有緒，是拍場上難得一見的佳作。作爲一名企業家，里埃斯科（1877-1964）亦對中國瓷器孜孜以求。這批珍品由他花費了近三十年的心血蒐集而成，他更親自爲其編製圖錄。倫敦克羅伊登市議會於1964年購入里埃斯科當時位於倫敦南部阿丁頓區（Addington）的住所Heathfield House及毗鄰的土地，該批珍藏亦隨之納入倫敦克羅伊登市名下。里埃斯科珍藏品共有230件，此次拍賣將推出其中24件精品，拍賣收益將悉數投入克羅伊登市的文化基礎設施。在香港拍賣之前，這批珍品將於香港、倫敦和台北巡迴展出，總估價逾1.13億港幣/1千400萬美元。里埃斯科珍藏中之其餘206件，其年代橫跨新石器時代至十九世紀，將繼續存放於克羅伊登鐘樓（Croydon Clocktower） 的里埃斯科展廳（Riesco Gallery），供公眾免費欣賞。
Jonathan Stone, Chairman and International Head, Asian Art, said: “Christie’s is honoured to have been instructed by the London Borough of Croydon to sell 24 pieces from the 230 works in The Riesco Collection of Chinese Ceramics, which the Council bought in 1964. We are pleased to have been selected to auction these ceramics following a competitive tender process resulting from the decision to sell part of the collection.”
佳士得亞洲藝術部主席暨國際總監石俊生（Jonathan Stone）表示：「佳士得對於此次受倫敦克羅伊登市議會委託，呈獻24件里埃斯科珍藏重要瓷器深感榮幸，這批珍藏屬於市議會1964年所購入230件珍藏瓷器的一部份。我們很高興能夠在激烈的篩選過程中脫穎而出，受委託拍賣這批珍藏。」
Croydon Council’s cabinet member for children, families and learning, Councillor Tim Pollard, said: "This has been a difficult decision to make and one we have not taken lightly. The high insurance and security costs of maintaining this collection do not provide value for money to Croydon taxpayers. Instead the council intends to get the maximum financial return on the small portion of the collection being sold to invest in Croydon’s cultural infrastructure, and we believe Christie's offers the best opportunity to do this.”
克羅伊登市議會主理兒童、家庭及教育事務的內閣成員暨議員 Tim Pollard 示：「這是一個艱難的決定，我們為之考慮已久。這批藏品的保險及保管支出費用龐大，並不能爲克羅伊登市的納稅人帶來利益。市議會希望這次通過拍賣小部份的里埃斯科珍藏，能獲得最大的經濟回報，以改善克羅伊登的文化基礎設施。我們深信，佳士得是助我們達成目標的理想之選。」
Blue & White Porcelain
– Ming Dynasty
明代青花瓷(1368–1644)
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Xuande blue and white double-gourd moonflask,
Ming Dynasty
明宣德青花輪花綬帶葫蘆扁瓶 |
The Riesco Collection is particularly strong in fine blue and white porcelains of the 15th century, a period which many connoisseurs believe to be the highpoint in blue and white decoration in China. Exemplifying the quality and beauty of the 13 blue and white pieces being offered, the sale is led by a rare Xuande blue and white double-gourd moonflask, Ming Dynasty, Xuande mark and period (1426-1435), which Mr Riesco recorded in his personal catalogue as a ‘Pilgrims Bottle’ (estimate: HK$22,000,000-30,000,000 /US$2,750,000-3,750,000). This elegant and well potted flask was acquired at auction by Riesco in 1954.
在里埃斯科珍藏重要中國瓷器當中，最出類拔萃的是其十五世紀青花瓷珍藏。在許多鑑藏家眼中，當時正是中國青花工藝的巔峰時期。此次拍賣的13件青花瓷件件俱精、美不勝收，而最具代表性的當屬一件具六字楷書橫款的明宣德青花輪花綬帶葫蘆扁瓶，里埃斯科在其撰寫的圖錄中稱之為「朝聖瓶（Pilgrims Bottle）」（估價：22,000,000-30,000,000港元／2,750,000-3,750,000美元）。此瓶造型雋雅，胎體堅密，是里埃斯科於1954年在拍賣會上購入的精品。
A Xuande-marked flask of the same form with the same decoration and similar distinctive rectangular foot is in the National Palace Museum, Taipei and two similar flasks from the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing have also been published. A flask identical to the Riesco vessel, including a Xuande mark, is in the collection of Sir Percival David, now on view in the British Museum.
臺北故宮博物院收藏另一例宣德款葫蘆扁瓶，其紋飾與本拍品相同，器底特有的方足亦相似；此外，北京故宮博物院亦有兩件已發表的近似例子。在大維德中國藝術基金會珍藏中，也有一件與里埃斯科珍藏相似的宣德款葫蘆瓶，目前正在大英博物館展出。
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Blue and white ‘boys’ bowl
明成化青花嬰戲圖盌 |
The depiction of children in Chinese art has its roots in Buddhist beliefs, influenced by Daoism. By the Tang dynasty (AD 618–907) images of healthy young boys at play was no longer confined to religious art and were already a popular secular theme on Chinese decorative arts, being viewed as an auspicious symbol associated with the wish for sons and grandsons, and thus the continuation of the family line as well as the prosperity of the family. Offered from The Riesco Collection, a blue and white ‘boys’ bowl presents collectors with a rare Chenghua example of this popular motif (1465–1487) (estimate: HK$7,000,000-10,000,000/US$875,000-1,250,000, illustrated above and on page one). The deep and rounded form is skillfully painted in soft tones of underglaze cobalt blue with a continuous scene of boys playing in a balustraded garden beneath scrolling clouds. Blue and white Chenghua bowls with this decorative theme are in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei. Examples similar to the present lot are in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and in the collection of Sir Percival David, now on view in the British Museum.
The Chenghua Emperor, who came to the throne at the age of eighteen, was very concerned about his lack of a male heir, particularly in the latter part of his reign. As a result, he favoured decoration that included auspicious messages regarding sons and grandsons. All of the symbolism on the present bowl refers to the birth of many sons and grandsons, who will have intelligence, integrity and a harmonious long life – precisely reflecting the wishes of the emperor during whose reign the bowl was made.
中國藝術作品中常見的嬰孩形象源自佛教，同時也深受道釋思想的影響。時至唐代，活潑小孩嬉戲玩耍的畫面，不但見諸於宗教藝術，更是中國紋飾藝術中流行的題材，被視作兒孫滿堂的吉祥象徵，飽含後繼有人、光耀門楣的願望。這批重要中國瓷器珍藏中有一件明成化青花嬰戲圖盌（估價： 7,000,000-10,000,000港元/875,000-1,250,000美元，見右圖及頁一上方右圖）。其盌深圓腹，繪通景庭園嬰戲圖，空中祥雲朵朵，其青花色調柔和，畫工細膩生動。臺北故宮亦珍藏數例成化青花嬰戲圖盌。此外，倫敦維多利亞與艾伯特博物館和大維德中國藝術基金會珍藏中也有與本拍品近似的例子，後者正於大英博物館展出。
成化帝十八歲登基，在位期間（尤其是成化末年）一直為缺乏子嗣而憂心忡忡。故此，他深喜祝願百子千孫一類的吉祥紋飾。本嬰戲圖盌的紋飾飽含子孫永葆、詩禮傳家、福壽雙全之意，恰恰反映了成化年間天子的心願。
Qing Dynasty
清代瓷器 (1644-1911)
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an extremely rare pair of
Kangxi-marked polychrome enamelled ruby-backed cups
一對清康熙外胭脂紅釉內粉彩果實紋馬蹄盃 |
The sale presents an extremely rare pair of Kangxi-marked polychrome enamelled ruby-backed cups, inscribed with Kangxi six-character underglaze blue marks within double circles and of the period (1662–1722) (estimate: HK$7,000,000-10,000,000/US$875,000-1,250,000, illustrated left). This exquisite pair of cups is not only the product of exceptionally fine craftsmanship, they are also some of the earliest porcelains to benefit from a remarkable technological advance, achieved at the urging of the Kangxi emperor (AD 1662–1722). At the very end of the Kangxi reign, about 1720, the imperial workshops making glass and enamels succeeded in creating an enamel that was to revolutionise the palette of colours used on fine Chinese porcelains, and was to give its European name for that palette. The colour was rose pink, and in their 1862 publication Histoire artistique, industrielle et commercielle de la porcelain, A. Jacquemart and E. Le Blant coined the phrase famille rose to describe the porcelain palette in which this rose pink was used. The beauty of the Chinese rose pink and the effectiveness of its even application can be seen very clearly on the present pair of cups, on which the pink has not only been used in the depiction of fruit on the interior, but also to create the so-called ‘ruby-back’ on the exterior. Only a very small number of porcelain cups or dishes from the Kangxi reign with rose enamel on the exterior are known to exist; they include examples in the collection of the British Museum, the Percival David Collection and the National Palace Museum, Taipei.
Depicting white melon and lotus seeds, green beans, jujubes, lychees, and bayberries, the carefully selected auspicious seeds and fruit that decorate the interior of these cups - with their emphasis on the birth of sons and grandsons, their successful careers, wealth, and good fortune - suggest that they may have been intended for a wedding celebration. This is also suggested by their deep pink exterior colour that could be described in Chinese as hong, which is the colour of celebration and is particularly associated with weddings. The bride and groom for whose wedding these cups were produced would have been very privileged as the newly created rose pink enamel, derived from colloidal gold, together with the delicacy and skilled craftsmanship employed would have meant that they were rare and very expensive items even in the early 1720s. Riesco bought the current cups from S. L. Moss in 1937, recording in his handwritten catalogue that he paid £13.10. It is possible that the current cups are the pair from the Ton Ying Company which was sold at the American Art Association, Anderson Galleries Inc. in New York on 24 January 1930.
此系列的焦點包括一對清康熙外胭脂紅釉內粉彩果實紋馬蹄盃，具雙圈六字楷書款（估價： 7,000,000-10,000,000港元/ 875,000-1,250,000美元，見左圖）。這對馬蹄盃做工考究，製瓷工藝在康熙年間取得了重大突破，此品應是率先改進的例子之一。康熙末年，宮內的玻璃和琺瑯作坊研製出一種新的琺瑯彩，使中國精瓷綻放出前所未有的光芒，爾後西方常以「粉彩」（famille rose，字面指「胭脂紅彩」） 來形容此類中國琺瑯彩。A. Jacquemart與E. Le Blant在其著作《Histoire artistique, industrielle et commercielle de la porcelain》中首創「粉彩」一詞，泛指以胭脂紅彩為主的瓷器彩料。這種胭脂紅彩可見於本拍品盃內的果實及外壁的胭脂紅地，兩者皆充份體現了中國胭脂紅的亮麗風姿，而施彩之勻淨適度亦堪稱一絕。傳世的外飾胭脂紅彩康熙盃或盤寥寥可數，就此可參見大英博物館、大維德中國藝術基金會及臺北故宮的珍藏。
此拍品內壁繪白瓜子、蓮子、刀豆、棗子、荔枝和楊梅，選材極具巧思，無一不寄託了兒孫滿堂、望子成龍、福財兼修的願望，極有可能為新婚賀禮。此推測的另一線索是盃外的胭脂紅地。這種典雅富麗的深紅被視為喜慶之色，最常見於婚嫁之物。而獲贈此對馬蹄盃的新人，應地位顯赫，因為瓷盃用料中有金粒子的金紅料，加上兩盃的外觀優雅，且工藝精湛，為1720年初製成的佳瓷的上乘之作。里埃斯科於1937年向S. L. Moss購入這對瓷盃，並在圖錄親筆註明當時以13.10英鎊成交。本拍品很可能是1930年1月24日在美國藝術協會安德遜畫廊拍出的、來自紐約通運公司珍藏的瓷盃。
Monochromes - Early Period
(11th- 13th century)
早期單色釉瓷器
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Jun-ware purple splashed bowl,
Jin-Yuan Dynasty
金/元鈞窰天青釉紫斑盌 |
In addition to Ming and Qing pieces with painted decoration, the works being offered from this collection include three very fine monochromes from the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries. Exemplary provenance is found in a superb example of a large Jun-ware purple splashed bowl, Jin-Yuan Dynasty, which was formerly in the Alexander Collection (estimate: HK$1,200,000-2,000,000/US$150,000-250,000, illustrated right).
除了繪有紋飾的明清佳瓷之外，拍品中還有三件做工考究的單色瓷器，分別燒造於十一、十二及十三世紀。其中一件金/元鈞窰天青釉紫斑盌同樣來源顯赫，此盌出自Alexander珍藏（估價：1,200,000-2,000,000港元/美元150,000-250,000美元，見右圖）。
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Ding ‘lotus’ dish, Northern Song Dynasty
北宋定窰刻蓮紋葵花式盤 |
The third lot is an elegantly carved Ding ‘lotus’ dish, Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) (estimate: HK$1,000,000-2,000,000 /US$150,000-250,000).
早期單色釉瓷器珍藏中，還包括了一例北宋定窰刻蓮紋葵花式盤（估價：1,000,000-2,000,000港元/150,000-250,000美元）。
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