Museum of Fine Arts, Boston has received the largest and most significant gift of Chinese paintings and calligraphy in the Museum’s history. The donation of the Wan-go H. C. Weng Collection comprises 183 objects that were acquired by and passed down through six generations of a single family, including work by the great masters of Chinese art like Shen Zhou, Weng Zhengming and Dong Qichang.
Weng Tonghe was a Chinese scholar and connoisseur from the Qing dynasty
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Calligraphy by Wen Zhengming (1470-1559)
The donation was made by Wan-go H. C. Weng—one of the most respected collectors and connoisseurs of Chinese painting in the world—and his family. Weng’s great-great-grandfather assembled the core of the collection during the 19th century. Weng Tonghe (1830–1904), who acquired the greater part of the collection, was a preeminent figure in 19th-century China. He held some of the highest positions in government, including tutor to two of the last emperors of the Qing dynasty.
Passed down from father to son through six generations, the collection encompasses 130 paintings, 31 works of calligraphy, 18 ink rubbings and four textiles spanning 13 centuries and five imperial dynasties.
A Landscape in Ink and Colour on Paper by Shen Zhou (1427-1509)
A Landscape in Ink and Colour on Paper by Shen Zhou (1427-1509)
A painting by Chen Hongshou (1598-1652)
A painting by Chen Hongshou (1598-1652)
The Weng Collection is considered among the greatest private holdings of Chinese art in the U.S., distinguished for its superb quality, abundance of work by the great masters of Chinese art, fine condition and well-documented provenance. The collection is particularly rich in representation of art from the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) eras, the collection.
An exhibition of highlights from the Weng Collection will go on view at the MFA in fall 2019, showcasing great works from Ming and Qing literati alongside calligraphy, diaries by Weng Tonghe, as well as seals and chinese works of art from his collection.