I went to an estate sale recently for a deceased local university art professor. It almost noon and the sale was winding down. In a room full of books I found a catalog buried under a tall pile. The cover of instantly caught my eye. It was in good condition and looked so interesting that I was willing to pay $5 for it.
When I got home, I looked through it and realized the catalog was from the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. An over 100 year old catalog!!!
All of the paintings in the catalog were from the collection of Mr. Liu Sun Fu, 刘松甫, a well-known art collector in Shanghai at that time.
1915 was the first time China participated in a World Expo. Mr. Fu attended and exhibited his paintings in the China Pavilion there.
I really enjoy collecting digital images (slides, films and pictures), along with some paintings. I don’t usually collect books or catalogs; however I was very tempted to keep this catalog since I found it so interesting.
After doing research I found it had quite a bit of value, so I had to let it go. I listed it on eBay and it sold for $200 within hours.
The buyer will enjoy more than I will. I do enjoy however the process of finding a treasure; as they say, “The thrill is in the hunt”!
最近在一拍卖场购得一本书目。 前主人是一大学教美术的教授。 我去时已近中午， 除了尚有不少书籍外， 其它物品所剩无几。 我在书堆中找到了这本不怎么起眼的中国古今名人图画录。 我被封面吸引， 花5美元买下了。
回家后才发现这是一本1915 年中国首次参加1915年在旧金山举行的巴拿马太平洋万国博览会的书画目录。 绝大多数参展作品是收藏家刘松甫的个人藏品。 当时海外对中国不很了解， 刘松甫在1915年参加美国旧金山的「巴拿马太平洋万国博览会」上，获以「世界著名的美术专家和收藏家之一」的名声，给世人留下深刻的印象。当中国政府陈列馆於1915年3月9日隆重开馆后，刘松甫收藏的中国古今绘画，就成了宣传中国文化的一个视窗。英文《旧金山纪事报》於5月2日以头版整版的图文，介绍〈万国赛会中的紫禁城：中国对1915年世界之都的贡献〉
我收藏旧照， 胶片和影片已有多年。 对书籍不怎么感兴趣。 决定放在eBay上， 数小时后以200美元卖出。 买主一定比我更能欣赏此目录。