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PROPERTY FROM THE ZINOVI PECHKOFF (1884-1966) COLLECTIONZinovi Alekseyevich Pechkoff was a Russian-born French general and ambassador. His military and diplomatic career spanned multiple continents over several decades, including a particularly significant period from 1943-1945 in China. First dispatched as Head of the French Military Mission to China, Pechkoff was soon promoted to the post of Ambassador, representing Free France to the Nationalist Government (KMT) in Chongqing. During his tenure, Pechkoff built strong and lasting relationships at the highest levels of the Nationalist Government. This was testified to by Pechkoff’s 1964 appointment by President Charles de Gaulle to act as a special envoy to Chiang Kai-shek. Pechkoff was given the sensitive task of informing the Generalissimo that France was about to grant formal diplomatic recognition to the People’s Republic of China, and had been chosen on the basis of his previous working relationship with Chiang in wartime.During his time in China, Pechkoff acquired a small but significant collection of modern Chinese paintings, including works by Xu Beihong, Guan Shanyue, Li Xiongcai, and Sun Zongwei. Two of these works are recorded as gifts to Pechkoff by prominent KMT Politicians, underscoring his prestige in Chongqing’s political and cultural circles. Owl and Sparrows by Li Xiongcai was gifted to Pechkoff by the KMT Minister of Education, Chen Lifu (1900-2001). While Tiger by Guanshanyue was gifted to Pechkoff on the 6 December 1945 in Chengdu, by the recently appointed UNESCO Assistant Director and Head of the International Culture and Education Office, Guo Youshou (1901-1978).The martial symbolism of Owl and Sparrows and of Xu Beihong’s Standing Horse made them perfectly fitted to Pechkoff’s dual military and diplomatic wartime roles. While the image of a powerful apex predator in Guan Shanyue’s Tiger carried a triumphal message, celebrating the recent victory over Japan. Moreover, Tiger was gifted to Pechkoff on the day that General MacArthur ordered the arrest of former Japanese Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe (近衞文麿) and eight others as war criminals. This was an event that Guo and Pechkoff would certainly have known of in advance due to their senior positions, and so the date of the gift can be no coincidence.Sun Zongwei’s Dancing Bodhisattva bears a label in English, noting that it was a Christmas gift to Pechkoff from a Major in the KMT Military. However, the label has been damaged and the name of the giver has been lost, reading only: “To General Z Pechkoff. For a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. From Major …ao-jo”. Given the provenance of the other four works in the collection, it is quite probable that Xu Beihong’s Standing Horse was also a political gift to Pechkoff. However, the mounting of this painting has been damaged and the titleslip lost, leaving no documentary record to support this probable provenance.After the war Pechkoff wrote a meticulous inventory of his collections, begun in 1949. This inventory was annotated by his heirs after his death in 1966, clarifying the location of his possessions. All five paintings in this collection appear in this inventory. The works by Guan Shanyue, Li Xiongcai and Sun Zongwei are identified by title, and the horse painted by Xu Beihong is recorded under Xu’s Francophonic transliteration: “Ju Peon”.
貝志高曾為俄裔法國將軍兼大使。他長達數十年的軍事及外交生涯橫跨幾大洲，其中就包括了中國1943-1945年間這一關鍵性的歷史時期。他先被任命為法軍在華軍事任務總司令，隨後很快被升任大使一職，代表“自由法國”與“重慶國民政府”周旋。貝志高在其任期內與國民政府高層建立了穩固持久的關系，隨後於1964年被戴高樂總統委任為蔣介石特使。憑借貝志高之前在戰時與蔣介石的交集，他被委以一項十分敏感的任務，即通知蔣法國將正式與中華人民共和國建交。貝志高在華期間收藏的中國當代書畫規模雖小但水準不俗，包括徐悲鴻、關山月、黎雄才、孫宗慰的作品。這些藏品中的兩件獲贈於國民黨高級官員，表明著他當年在重慶官場和文藝界的威望。其中黎雄才作品“貓頭鷹與麻雀”獲贈於國民黨教育部長陳立夫 (1900-2001)，關山月的“虎”則是新晉任命為聯合國教科文組織專員的國際教育和文化廳長郭有守 (1901-1978)於1945年12月6日贈送的禮物。貝志高從1949年起便一絲不苟地為他的藏品撰寫清單，在其1966年過世後他的繼承人對清單進行了註釋，詳細標明瞭這些財產的出處，此次五件畫作全部記錄在案。關山月 虎 設色紙本 立軸 款識：嶺南關山月。 鈐印：關山月印 郭有守題簽條：法國大使貝志高將軍惠存。郭有守敬贈。成都，一九四五年十二月六日。 來源：法國大使貝志高將軍舊藏，郭有守一九四五年十二月六日於成都贈予法國大使貝志高將軍，后家族傳承
TIGRE
細節
貝志高曾為俄裔法國將軍兼大使。他長達數十年的軍事及外交生涯橫跨幾大洲，其中就包括了中國1943-1945年間這一關鍵性的歷史時期。他先被任命為法軍在華軍事任務總司令，隨後很快被升任大使一職，代表“自由法國”與“重慶國民政府”周旋。貝志高在其任期內與國民政府高層建立了穩固持久的關系，隨後於1964年被戴高樂總統委任為蔣介石特使。憑借貝志高之前在戰時與蔣介石的交集，他被委以一項十分敏感的任務，即通知蔣法國將正式與中華人民共和國建交。
貝志高在華期間收藏的中國當代書畫規模雖小但水準不俗，包括徐悲鴻、關山月、黎雄才、孫宗慰的作品。這些藏品中的兩件獲贈於國民黨高級官員，表明著他當年在重慶官場和文藝界的威望。其中黎雄才作品“貓頭鷹與麻雀”獲贈於國民黨教育部長陳立夫 (1900-2001)，關山月的“虎”則是新晉任命為聯合國教科文組織專員的國際教育和文化廳長郭有守 (1901-1978)於1945年12月6日贈送的禮物。
貝志高從1949年起便一絲不苟地為他的藏品撰寫清單，在其1966年過世後他的繼承人對清單進行了註釋，詳細標明瞭這些財產的出處，此次五件畫作全部記錄在案。
關山月 虎 設色紙本 立軸
款識：嶺南關山月。
鈐印：關山月印
郭有守題簽條：法國大使貝志高將軍惠存。郭有守敬贈。成都，一九四五年十二月六日。
來源：法國大使貝志高將軍舊藏，郭有守一九四五年十二月六日於成都贈予法國大使貝志高將軍，后家族傳承
Dimensions: 145,5 x 68,5 cm. (57 ¼ x 27 in.)
貝志高在華期間收藏的中國當代書畫規模雖小但水準不俗，包括徐悲鴻、關山月、黎雄才、孫宗慰的作品。這些藏品中的兩件獲贈於國民黨高級官員，表明著他當年在重慶官場和文藝界的威望。其中黎雄才作品“貓頭鷹與麻雀”獲贈於國民黨教育部長陳立夫 (1900-2001)，關山月的“虎”則是新晉任命為聯合國教科文組織專員的國際教育和文化廳長郭有守 (1901-1978)於1945年12月6日贈送的禮物。
貝志高從1949年起便一絲不苟地為他的藏品撰寫清單，在其1966年過世後他的繼承人對清單進行了註釋，詳細標明瞭這些財產的出處，此次五件畫作全部記錄在案。
關山月 虎 設色紙本 立軸
款識：嶺南關山月。
鈐印：關山月印
郭有守題簽條：法國大使貝志高將軍惠存。郭有守敬贈。成都，一九四五年十二月六日。
來源：法國大使貝志高將軍舊藏，郭有守一九四五年十二月六日於成都贈予法國大使貝志高將軍，后家族傳承
Dimensions: 145,5 x 68,5 cm. (57 ¼ x 27 in.)
來源
Gifted to the Free French Ambassador to the Republic of China, General Zinovi Pechkoff (1884-1966), by Guo Youshou (1901-1978) in Chengdu on 6 December 1945.
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