唐诗
The first half year on the antique art auction market seemed peaceful, but there was a breaking news which stirred up everybodys nerve. Tianminlou, the Hong Kong private collection institution which was famous for its stand in buying only, started to release its collections to the market for the first time. Tianminlous best collections were its rare blue and white porcelains from Yuan Dynasty. Tianminlou was regarded as the largest collector of blue and white porcelains in the world. It was shocking for all to see it broke its rule and auctioned out 166 pieces of porcelains on three auctions held by China Guardian and Hong Kong Sothebys first half of this year. There was an unlucky reason for this unusual behavior. The master of Tianminlou, 85 years old Ge Shike got into a financial fraud and lost HKD 580 million. Mr. Ge once said, “ For a real collector, every piece of collection was chose only after careful consideration and true love, and every piece cannot be separated from a true collector”. Now as a true collector, how sad must he feel.
2019年上半年,文物藝术品拍卖市场上似乎没有什么大的波澜,但就陶瓷领域而言,着实有一件震动市场的大事——向来只买不卖的天民楼藏瓷首次释出、进入市场。在中国嘉德和香港苏富比的春季拍坛上,天民楼所藏瓷器惊艳亮相。虽然并非其最珍贵的庋藏,但足以成为陶瓷市场上的焦点。
天民楼在陶瓷收藏界可谓大名鼎鼎。它由钟情于瓷器的葛士翘1987年在香港创办,后由其子葛师科继承,是为天民楼第二代主人。在父子两代人的努力搜罗之下,天民楼的藏品日益丰富,成为瓷器私人收藏领域的翘楚。
“天民楼”最著名的庋藏是极为稀罕的元青花。目前公认,天民楼乃全球范围内私人收藏元青花最多的单位。即使将公有收藏单位也算在内,天民楼也仅次于土耳其托普卡比博物馆和伊朗阿德比尔清真寺,位列全球第三。此外,天民楼所藏明清官窑瓷器也颇具规模。
早在上世纪90年代,上海博物馆举办的“天民楼青花瓷特展”便轰动沪上。其中元代青花24件,明代青花57件,清代青花46件。公立博物馆都不禁惊叹,私人藏瓷竟然能有如此实力。
作为瓷器领域的顶级私人藏家,天民楼向来有一个规矩,即“只藏不卖”。然而,这一贯穿两代主人的原则,却在今年春季被首次打破。3月23日嘉德四季拍卖“天民楼藏瓷”专场,共上拍115件藏品,悉数成交,总成交额5472.275万元;4月3日,香港苏富比“天民楼藏御瓷选萃”专场,共计18件藏品,再度斩获“白手套”,总成交额1.9359亿港元;5月30日,香港苏富比“天民楼:历代华瓷萃集”专场,上拍总计35件拍品,其中33件成交,总成交额1182.875万港元。
事实上,此次虽密集推出3个专场,但自带光环的天民楼始终保持低调,并未大肆宣传。一则因为释出藏品在天民楼珍藏中并非顶级;其二,此番打破原则出售藏品,实属无奈之举,背后缘由令人唏嘘。
今年初,即有消息称天民楼第二代主人、已85岁高龄的葛师科身陷金融骗局,损失金额高达5.8亿元。随后天民楼藏品即首次现身拍场。
葛师科在接受媒体采访时说:“对于收藏家来说,卖东西只有两种可能:一是生意失败,不得不卖,这样的例子不少;再有是喜欢的人不在了,下面也没人接手,底下要分家,这些东西卖成钱是最方便的。对真正的收藏家,这些东西都是千挑万选自己喜欢的,个个舍不得。”
对藏品“个个舍不得”的葛师科,在如今的情形下无奈出售藏品,难以想见是怎样的心境。