Asian Works of Art

Provenance:

Property from the Estate of General Han-Chien Chueh, Taiwan, thence by descent. 

Previously offered in China Guardian, Beijing, May 12, 2012, Modern Chinese Paintings, lot 558.

Previously offered in Poly Auction Hong Kong, April 4, Modern Chinese Paintings, lot 436.

General Chueh Han-Chien (Que Hanqian, 1901–1972) was a distinguished Nationalist commander during the Second Sino-Japanese War. A graduate of the fourth class of the Republic of China Military Academy, he rose through the ranks of the Republic of China Armed Forces to become a lieutenant general. Though his military career began at Whampoa, his reputation was forged on the battlefield during China’s desperate struggle against Japanese aggression in World War II.

He earned renown in campaigns across North Guangdong, Southern Guangxi, and Western Yunnan. During the 1937 Battle of Shanghai, he led his men with remarkable bravery under relentless artillery and aerial bombardment. As Chinese forces withdrew, Chueh’s troops remained behind as the rearguard, holding their position for three months against overwhelming odds. With the outbreak of the Pacific War, he was stationed in Yunnan, where he commanded the perilous crossing of the Nu River and the assault on the Gaoligong Mountains. His bold maneuvers were captured in a film produced by Lieutenant Colonel Elvis Jacob Stahr Jr. during his mission with Chinese combat units and brought to America to rally support.

Beyond his military career, Chueh was also a celebrated calligrapher, famed for his distinctive “Boyun style,” which was highly regarded alongside the works of Yu Youren and Wu Zhihui. He shared a close friendship with the renowned painter Qi Baishi, a fellow Hunan native and forty years his senior, who carved many of Chueh’s seals. Even in later years in Taipei, Chueh would recall this friendship fondly to his children.

General Chueh’s collection of calligraphy and painting was extensive. Some of it was later donated by his descendants to public institutions in Shanghai and Taipei, while a smaller portion appeared on the market, including works offered at China Guardian’s 2012 Spring Auction. The present lot comes directly from the General’s family, consigned by his grandchildren.

來源：

抗日名将闕漢骞（1901-1972）舊藏。

曾上拍于中國嘉德2012年春拍5月12日中國近現代書畫專場，第558號。

曾上拍于保利香港2016年春拍4月4日中國近現代書畫專場，第436號。

展覽：

1967年展覽于臺北國立歷史博物舘。

阙汉骞字拨云，湖南宁远阙家庄人，黄埔四期步科毕业，中华民国陆军中将。他的軍旅生涯起於黃埔，功績創于抗日。於粵北、桂南、滇西屢建奇功：淞滬會戰羅店洛陽橋之役，飛機砲兵砲火猛轟之下奮勇殺敵。上海轉進時擔任掩護，死守三月。安徽誓節渡一役與日軍白刃肉搏，使敵膽寒。粵北會戰中出盡奇兵，迫使日軍倉惶退至廣州。

太平洋戰爭爆發後進駐雲南，強渡怒江戰役，進攻高黎貢山，麾下军官诵岳飞《满江红》與文天祥《正气歌》，士兵以 “还我河山” 為臂章，以“武官不惜死”相勉。被美陸軍部長史塔爾（時任美軍駐華顧問）拍成電影，帶回美國宣揚。

他是也是著名的书法家，造詣不凡，以 “拨云体”與于右任、吴稚晖并稱一時。與齊白石既是同鄉又是忘年之交（齊張闕四十余嵗），不少印章為齊所刻。晚年定居臺北，猶對子女回憶這段交往。闕漢骞所蓄書畫頗豐，大部分由後人捐獻上海、臺北的公立機構。小部分曾上拍于2012年嘉德春拍“大觀”夜場和近现代书画日場。本場拍品由阙將軍孫輩委托。