明至清早期 大明萬曆年制款青花龍紋盤 Painted with full dragons and partial features possibly as the underglaze blue layer of a famille verte wucai palette dish. Underside near rim with a six character Wanli mark. Qing dynasty, 17th to 18th C. Dia. 64cm (25 in.) Many of the objects being offered in this auction are from the collection of Mark (1909-1981) and Suzanne (1921-2020) Gayn. However, these beautiful items are more than a collection; they are the tangible echoes of two exceptional lives. Mark Gayn (born Mark Julius Ginsbourg) was born in Manchurian China to Russian Jews and spent many of his formative years in China in the early part of the 20th century as China transitioned from an Imperial state to a Republic. His immersion in Chinese culture gave him a unique voice when he later returned to China both before and after WWII as an international correspondent most notably for the Washington Post, Times and Newsweek, providing him with access to the people and the experiences of a quickly changing Chinese culture not available to other Western journalists. Once settled in Toronto in 1953, Mark began work for the Toronto Daily Star. Suzanne had a fascinating history of her own. A Hungarian actress before she met and married Mark, she was denied entry to the United States under suspicion of being a Communist sympathizer. This led to the couple settling in Toronto in a Rosedale house, which they filled with gifts and beautiful objects acquired or purchased during their many stays in China and Asia. The acquisitions ceased upon Mark’s passing in 1981 and the collection of Asian objects remained untouched in her Rosedale home until Suzanne’s recent passing. All proceeds from the auction of the Gayn estate will be generously donated to the University of Toronto. Mark Gayn 馬克·蓋恩（1909年-1981年）是一位出生於晚清滿洲地區的俄羅斯裔猶太人。在民國時期成長起來的蓋恩見證了二十世紀前半期中國發生的巨大變遷，並作為《華盛頓郵報》《紐約時報》等西方媒體特聘駐華記者參與記錄了這一時期的歷史。在第二次國共內戰期間，蓋恩更作為親歷者赴延安拍攝記錄了當時那裡的風貌。1953年定居加拿大後，蓋恩在遠東地區的經歷使其被聘為《多倫多星報》資深記者。蓋恩集一生的藏品在他去世後一直由夫人Suzanne Gayn 蘇珊·蓋恩（1921年-2020年）保管至今。蘇珊的一生也同樣波瀾起伏。她曾經是著名的匈牙利女演員，在選擇到美國定居後因被視為一名共產主義者而被拒之門外，轉而定居到了多倫多。夫婦兩人對亞洲文化和藝術品收藏的興趣在丈夫馬克去世後停止。夫婦兩的收藏在此次集中上拍也為了滿足蓋恩遺願將拍賣所得款項全數捐贈給多倫多大學。