To request further details about this lot, please email asian@freemansauction.com
Please email asian@freemansauction.com for any additional information or questions you may have
Sale 6545
| New York
| New York
To request further details about this lot, please email asian@freemansauction.com
Please email asian@freemansauction.com for any additional information or questions you may have
Estimate$40,000 – $60,000
Provenance:
Yamanaka & Company, Inc., New York, Boston, Chicago.
Charles and Aline Anderson, Hamburg, New Jersey.
The Honorable Robert C. Shelton Jr. (1934-2023), acquired from the above, November 1969, thence by descent.
Illustrated:
Collection of Chinese and Other Far Eastern Art Assembled by Yamanaka & Company, Inc. New York: Yamanaka & Co, 1943, no. 1248, catalogued as Qianlong period.
Chinese and Other Far Eastern Art. New York: Apollo, Poughkeepsie, New York, 1988, no. 1248.
A Qing Dynasty Vase, A Father’s Love, and A Daughter’s Quest
The Honorable Robert C. Shelton, Jr. (1934-2023), son of Helen and Robert C. Shelton Sr., was raised in Franklin, NJ. He is survived by his son, three daughters, many grand and great-grandchildren, and his pride and joy, a magnificent 50-inch blue and white Qing dynasty “Nine Dragon” vase.
Judge Shelton wore a variety of hats throughout his life: son, Husband, Father, Grandfather, Attorney, Prosecutor, Assemblyman, Superior Court Judge, World Traveler, Photographer, Ham Radio Operator, Car Enthusiast, Pilot, Opera Aficionado, and Collector of Chinese Antiquities, inspired by his magnificent vase.
Charles (d. 1966) and Aline Anderson, well-known antiques dealers in Hamburg, New Jersey, were clients and friends of Judge Shelton. The Judge had long admired his friend Charles’s most beautiful treasure, an imposing blue and white porcelain vase, painted with nine five-clawed dragons. He was awestruck by its size and the beauty of the dragons and enchanted by the history chronicled by Mr. Anderson, a story of the imperial household, a wedding, and symbols of good fortune, happiness, and longevity. Mr. Anderson was well aware of Judge Shelton’s passion for his porcelain trophy and had instructed his wife to sell it to his good friend the Judge, should he be called from this realm ahead of her. In 1969, she fulfilled her husband’s wishes.
Upon acquisition of the vase, Judge Shelton had one conundrum. How did one move a rare porcelain treasure of 50 inches in height, a diameter of 23 inches, and a weight of 200-plus pounds? Judge Shelton’s time as a volunteer fireman inspired him to request an ambulance transport with the promise of a generous donation. Who better to handle his newfound love with care and precision than the men and women who had taken the oath “To first do no harm”. So the vase was strapped to a stretcher and moved from its home in Hamburg, New Jersey to Judge Shelton’s law office in the neighboring town of Franklin.
In the mid 1970’s the Judge decided to move the vase to his home in Ogdensburg, New Jersey. The sitting room in the Sheltons’ home was redesigned to complement the vase. The walls were covered in cerulean flocked wallpaper, the sofa reupholstered in the same tone. Blue and white Chinese vases were converted to lamps, and a Ming bowl of similar color sat on a marble table. An Oriental carpet was purchased to complete the room.
The vase remained the cornerstone of the room until the late 1990’s and, perhaps most surprisingly, survived the five Shelton children without a scratch or chip,
It was in this room that Judge Shelton and his wife entertained friends and colleagues, and he inevitably spent a portion of each soiree regaling his guests with the tale of his treasure in a deep, resonating basso voice: “…originally commissioned as a wedding gift to a member of the imperial family, as noted by the various symbols represented in its artwork.”
In the 1990’s, the Judge and his wife separated. She maintained the home; he maintained the vase. A new room was designed to showcase his masterpiece. The Judge was getting older, and the vase, which had been a forbidden fruit to his children, now became a time capsule for his granddaughter, who was more treasured than his priceless vase.
While traveling with a son to Australia, he happened upon an article written by a young auction house specialist, Robert Bradlow, titled “Interesting Finds and Fakes in Chinese Porcelain”. The article included a photograph of an Imperial vase with a dragon that closely resembled his. The Judge wrote a letter to the young man, who surprisingly wrote back. The Judge had all intentions of continuing the correspondence, but life had other tragedies to deal with, including his own failing health.
The Judge passed peacefully surrounded by his remaining children and grandchildren in 2023. He bequeathed his vase to his daughter, with the understanding that if its importance were recognized, it may be sold to benefit the family. Thus began his daughter’s research into the vase’s provenance and where divine providence intervened. She began reading through her father’s file on the vase and following any potential leads to its origins. This included reconnecting with Robert Bradlow, decades after her father’s original correspondence.
She shared the reputed history she had learned from her father. Upon acquiring the vase, Judge Shelton had found a crumpled piece of paper that stated the vase was brought to the U.S. by Cornelius Vanderbilt. There were also references in her father’s file to various Rockefeller and Vanderbilt estate auctions; they followed up on these leads to no avail.
She spent hours each evening researching names which, in turn, led to more names, including Yamanaka & Co., storied purveyors of Chinese treasures. One evening she came across a 1943 catalog, “Collection of Chinese and Other Far Eastern Art Assembled by Yamanaka and Company, Inc.” She began scrolling the 256-page catalog of 1683 items. And then, on page 168, her hands began shaking…THE VASE. Item 1248.
Instantly she was transported to her childhood home, her father standing proudly in front of the vase, mesmerizing his guests with his tale and description, as the catalogue stated“…This vase was undoubtedly made for an important marriage feast.”, printed words that echoed her father’s story told so many times over the years.
來源：
山中商會紐約、波士頓或芝加哥店。
新澤西州漢堡市古董商Charles及Aline Anderson夫婦藏。
新澤西州Robert C. Shelton Jr.法官（1934-2023）1969年購自上述，后家族傳承。
著錄：
山中商會1943年《中國及遠東工藝品》銷售圖錄第1248號（斷代乾隆）。
高近1.3米、重達200斤，巨大、全品、氣勢撼人。叢叢蝙蝠圍繞九龍，發色沉鬱，瑩潤清麗。山中商會斷代乾隆，但就如意、雲紋、纏枝蓮的畫法而言，顯然是清中後期的風格。
山中商會在珍珠港事件翌年被查封，一整個1942年，碩果僅存的三家店（芝加哥、波士頓、紐約）都在美國政府敵方資產管理局的監管中清倉“放糧”。1943年春發行了這本二百五十余頁的“終極圖錄”，面向各大博物館、古董商、收藏家，至1943年末，圖錄所收之半售出。轉年春夏，三店所餘匯集紐約，在帕克-博納拍賣行的五個專場裏消失殆盡。
這尊編號1248的大瓶沒有收錄到五場拍賣中的任何一場，也就是説，在1943年春-1944年初已經售出，買家是誰卻不可考——這也是我們的委托方一直在盡力尋找的。
委托方從父親小羅伯特·謝爾頓法官（1934-2023）處繼承此瓶，謝爾頓法官則購自新澤西州漢堡市古董商安德森夫婦。那時他二十余嵗，剛剛開始收藏，在安德森家中見到此瓶，念念不忘，屢次求購，安德森都不捨得，但他囑咐太太，如果自己下世，她處理遺產時可賣給謝爾頓，1969年，25嵗的謝爾頓如願自安德森遺孀手中購得此瓶。因其體型巨大易碎，運輸公司不便承攬，謝爾頓靈機一動，想到自己曾在本地消防隊作志願者，遂向消防隊承諾大筆捐款，讓健壯的消防員們用擔架“像運送傷員一樣”把瓶子送到了他的辦公室。
幾年後，法官在新澤西奥格登斯堡的新家為大瓶特地留出角落，四周搭配青花瓷器、藍白窗簾與中式地毯，連沙發和壁紙也用藍色絲絨，恭恭敬敬把大瓶請回家中。又二十年，婚姻破裂，房子留給妻子，瓶子留給自己。不過這時的他已經年逾六旬，對收藏的興致早就讓給含飴弄孫的天倫之樂，大瓶沉默在新居客廳，甘爲孫兒們玩笑打鬧的背景板。
在一次和孩子們前往澳洲的旅行途中，他偶然在報章雜志看到中國古董屢創天價的新聞（那是藝術市場騰飛的2010年代），其中便有九龍紋樣的青花瓷，想到半個世紀前買下的大瓶，遂重翻故紙堆，聯絡拍賣行，試圖追索更早之前的來源。然而法官的工作繁忙，步入老年又精力有限，這項“研究”也就擱置。在他去世之後，繼承此瓶的女兒也繼承了這項“研究”，可惜止步於1943年，再之前的來源，已隨著山中商會的消散遠去如風。
大多古董都是這樣，幾十年閒的流傳已經難説清楚，何況百年。沒有打破沒有損傷，或許曾經蒙塵，但收拾乾净還能完完整整體體面面亮相在大家眼前，已經是一種福祐。人和物之間的緣分真奇妙，不知道九月一過，它又要流向何方。
Overall excellent condition for its age and use; moderate surface wear; scattered lines of craquelure in the glaze, particularly above the foot and lower body; lip very slightly uneven; under UV light, no repairs or restorations visible. Weight over 200 lbs (90 kg).
Additional photos are updated before the sale via this link https://asian.smugmug.com/Sale-6545. Please read the above or contact us to request a complete condition report.
品相细图见链接 https://asian.smugmug.com/Sale-6545，品相报告见上文。图录中未说明品相的拍品并不等没有磨损、瑕疵或其他问题，请买家于拍前自行检查。落槌无悔，请对您的竞拍行为负责。其他问题請邮件asian@freemansauction.com。
The physical condition of lots in our auctions can vary due to age, normal wear and tear, previous damage, and restoration/repair. All lots are sold "AS IS," in the condition they are in at the time of the auction, and we and the seller make no representation or warranty and assume no liability of any kind as to a lot's condition. Any reference to condition in a catalogue description or a condition report shall not amount to a full accounting of condition. Condition reports prepared by Freeman's staff are provided as a convenience and may be requested from the Department prior to bidding.
The absence of a posted condition report on the Freeman's website or in our catalogues should not be interpreted as commentary on an item's condition. Prospective buyers are responsible for inspecting a lot or sending their agent or conservator to inspect the lot on their behalf, and for ensuring that they have requested, received and understood any condition report provided by Freeman's.
Please email asian@freemansauction.com for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.
