遮打藏品的守護Guardians of the Chater Collection

香港藝術館是香港歷史最悠久的公營美術館。當中的遮打

藏品，是最早入藏、最富傳奇色彩的館藏。

1926 年，商人遮打爵士將藏畫遺贈給當時的香港政府。

這批畫作以 17 至 19 世紀南中國通商口岸面貌及英國在華

活動為主題，是攝影時代以前的珍貴歷史圖像。原有的

四百多幀畫作，在二戰期間散佚，現只餘約一百幀。它們

的倖存，全賴熱心人士的無私守護。是次展覽細訴救畫

歷史，回顧不同人士守護和追尋藏品的事跡，見證一段

由守護者們共同編寫的香港傳奇。

The Hong Kong Museum of Art is the first public art museum in Hong Kong. The Chater collection is the earliest and most legendary of all collections in the Museum. In 1926, Sir Catchick Paul Chater bequeathed his collection of paintings to Hong Kong. Portraying trading ports in South China and British activities in China from the 17th to 19th century, these paintings are valuable visual historical records from an age before photography. During the Second World War, they were dispersed and looted. Of the original some 400 works donated, only around 100 currently remain. Their survival was made possible with the selfless care and protection of dedicated individuals. With the story of the recovery of the paintings as its central narrative, the exhibition revisits the acts of various individuals who guarded and searched for the missing pieces, bearing witness to the twists and turns of the shared stories of the paintings’ guardians.

喬治．羅伯特．韋斯特（畫）；麥克勞爾（印）George Robert West (drawn); A. Maclure (lithographed) 中國廣州新舊商館 Old and new factories, Canton, China1847設色（套色）石版畫 Coloured (chromo-) lithograph25.4 x 41.3 厘米 cm

佚名（畫）；托馬斯．凱利（出版） Anonymous (drawn); Thomas Kelly (published)廣州 Canton約 ca. 1670 鐫刻版畫 Engraving11.5 x 18 厘米 cm遮打爵士捐贈 Donated by Sir Paul Chater2006 年由匿名人士送回本館 An anonymous return to the Museum in 2006AH2006.0038

傳奇的 遮打藏品The Legendary Chater Collection

1941 年 12 月 8 日，日軍轟炸啟德機場。同日，在危急的關

頭，港督副官巴蒂史密斯上校與藏品修復專家馮．科布扎

以及工務司署的托馬斯．哈蒙舉行秘密會議。科布扎用

錫罐密封畫作，並在哈蒙的監督下將畫作埋在港督府的

花園裏。可惜，他們三人在日佔期間相繼去世，藏畫的

位置成了永遠的謎。

On 8 December 1941, Japanese forces bombed Kai Tak Airport. On the same day, at a critical moment, Captain Batty-Smith, Aide-de-Camp to the Governor, held a secret meeting with E. A. von Kobza-nagy, an art restoration expert and Thomas Harmon from the Public Works Department. It was said that Kobza-nagy sealed the paintings in tin containers and buried them in the garden of Government House, under the supervision of Harmon. Unfortunately, all three of them died during the Japanese occupation and the buried location of the paintings became a mystery.

威廉．亞歷山大（1767 – 1816）William Alexander (1767 – 1816)馬戛爾尼使團進入揚子江 Lord Macartney’s embassy entering the Yangtze1793水彩紙本 Watercolour on paper30.5 x 45.7 厘米 cm

佚名 Anonymous 福州 Fuzhou約 ca. 1845油彩布本 Oil on canvas45 x 68 厘米 cm遮打爵士捐贈 Donated by Sir Paul Chater由香港匯豐銀行送還Returned by the Hongkong and Shanghai BankAH1964.0136

永遠的謎A Mystery Forever

日佔時期，一位葡裔居民澤維爾在中區古董店發現部分遮

打藏品。他於中西區一帶成功尋回 30 幅遮打藏品，並將畫

作全部買下，戰後悉數歸還給政府。

另一位守護者是本地居民冼子霖。1942 年，日軍修建港督

府，本地判頭冼子霖參與工程。施工期間，他發現 20 多幅

畫作被丟棄於廢物堆中，於是小心除去畫框，再用防水紙

和麻包袋包裹，然後靜待機會運出港督府。

數個月後，他瞞過日軍，順利運走 23 幅畫作，存於灣仔駱

克道家中。1943 年，為免日軍搜查民居時發現，他把畫作

運往寶安縣家鄉。兩年後，灣仔駱克道民居被日軍炸毀。

重光後，冼子霖將以生命換來的 23 幅畫作全部歸還政府。

During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, Portuguese resident F. A. Xavier found a portion of the Chater collection of paintings in antique shops in Central. With his knowledge and powers of art observation coupled with persistent effort, he successfully recovered 30 Chater paintings and returned them to Hong Kong government after the war.

Another guardian of the Chater paintings was local resident Sinn Chi Lam. In 1942, the Japanese military was rebuilding Government House, and local contractor Sinn Chi Lam was involved in the project. During construction, he discovered over 20 paintings discarded with other debris. He first removed the frames, then wrapped them in waterproof paper and waited for an opportunity to transport them out of Government House.

After several months, Sinn successfully withdrew 23 concealed paintings, and kept them in his home on Lockhart Road in Wan Chai. In 1943, to avoid discovery by the Japanese military during routine searches of residents’ homes, Sinn Chi Lam sent the paintings to his native home in Bao’an County for safe keeping. Two years later, the residential dwellings on Lockhart Road were destroyed during aerial bombing of Hong Kong. After the liberation of Hong Kong, the 23 paintings, which had been bravely secured by Sinn Chi Lam at great personal risk, were all returned to the restored government of Hong Kong.

馬西安諾．安東尼奧．巴普蒂斯塔 （1826 – 1896）、喬治．錢納利（1774 – 1852）

Marciano António Baptista (1826 – 1896), George Chinnery (1774 – 1852)維多利亞城西部及鐵行 Victoria west and P. & O. Hong約 ca. 1851水彩紙本 Watercolour on paper 43.2 x 71.1 厘米 cm

托馬斯．艾林（1804 – 1872）（畫）； 佛洛伊德（刻）；費希爾（英、法）

（活躍於 1828 – 1847）（出版）Thomas Allom (1804 – 1872) (drawn); W. Floyd (engraved); Fisher, Son & Co., London and Paris (act. 1828 – 1847) (published) 帽店 Cap-vendor’s shop約 ca. 1841鐫刻版畫 Engraving12.7 x 19.1 厘米 cm

馬西安諾．安東尼奧．巴普蒂斯塔 （1826 – 1896）

Marciano António Baptista (1826 – 1896)從半山俯瞰維多利亞城 Hong Kong from the Mid-Levels looking northwest約 ca. 1858水彩紙本 Watercolour on paper39.4 x 60.4 厘米 cm遮打爵士捐贈 Donated by Sir Paul Chater由澤維爾先生送還 Returned from Mr F. A. XavierAH1964.0134

馬丁（畫）；戴氏（印）； 亨利．格雷夫斯（出版） Lieut. Martin (drawn); Day and Son (lithographed); Henry Graves (published)廣州英國商館前的士兵行列 Ranks of soldiers outside the British factory, Guangzhou 1847設色石版畫 Coloured lithograph30.3 x 46.5 厘米 cm遮打爵士捐贈 Donated by Sir Paul Chater由冼子霖先生送還 Returned from Mr Sinn Chi LamAH1964.0117

無私的守護者The Selfless Guardians

尋覓復尋覓The Search Continues

戰後，偶然會有遮打藏品的零星發現。

1949 年，香港大學歸還在圖書館和校長辦公室尋回的 19 組

作品；1950 年，日方從戰時掠奪物資中歸還一幅油畫；1963

及 2006 年，政府分別收到匿名人士送還共五幅遮打藏品。

不少人相信部分遮打藏畫仍然埋在港督府地下。為追尋

這批珍貴文物，政府曾於 1945、1976 和 1979 年進行發掘

或探測的工作，可是畫作仍渺無蹤影。即或如此我們仍然

期望遮打藏品能有完全失而復得的一天。

After the war, individual paintings from the Chater collection would resurface from time to time.

A large portion of them were returned by the University of Hong Kong in 1949, consisting of 19 sets of works recovered from the university’s library and vice-chancellor’s office. In 1950, Japan returned an oil painting taken during the war, one of few surviving oil paintings from the Chater collection. From 1963 to 2006, the government has received a total of five Chater paintings returned anonymously by individuals.

Many believe that part of the Chater collection remains buried in the grounds of Government House. In an effort to recover the valuable artefacts, the government carried out excavation and detection projects in 1945, 1976 and 1979, all to no avail. Despite the challenges, we still have hope for the recovery of the whole Chater collection one day.

馬西安諾．安東尼奧．巴普蒂斯塔 （1826 – 1896）

Marciano António Baptista (1826 – 1896)維多利亞城 Town of Victoria約 ca. 1854水彩紙本 Watercolour on paper49.5 x 138.4 厘米 cm

奧理克斯（刻） Auriquès (engraved)北京城 Peking約 ca. 1700設色鐫刻版畫 Coloured engraving30 x 41.5 厘米 cm遮打爵士捐贈 Donated by Sir Paul Chater由香港大學送還 Returned from the University of Hong KongAH1964.0139

喬治．錢納利（1774 – 1852） George Chinnery (1774 – 1852)自畫像 Self portrait約 ca. 1830鉛筆淡彩紙本 Pencil with tint on paper27.9 x 33.7 厘米 cm

佚名 Anonymous「布倫謙」號 H.M.S. Blenheim約 ca. 1825油彩布本 Oil on canvas61.3 x 74.7 厘米 cm遮打爵士捐贈 Donated by Sir Paul Chater 從日方戰時掠奪物資中歸還Returned by the United Kingdom Reparations and Restitution Delegation in JapanAH1964.0154

散佚畫作圖片來源 Photo credit of the lost paintings:

Orange, James, The Chater collection: Pictures relating to China, Hongkong, Macao, 1655 – 1860 (London: Thornton Butterworth Limited, 1924).

工作小組

香港藝術館外銷藝術組及設計組

Production TeamChina Trade Art subunit and Design Unit Hong Kong Museum of Art

香港藝術館感謝 Susannah Hirst 女士協助編輯及潤色英文版本 The Hong Kong Museum of Art is very grateful toMs Susannah Hirst for editing and refining the English text

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香港藝術館編製 2019 年 11月首次編印，2020 年 1 月第二次編印

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Published by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionProduced by the Hong Kong Museum of ArtFirst published in November 2019. Second edition in January 2020© Leisure and Cultural Services Department 2019 All rights reserved

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