PRIVATE COLLECTIONS

The Collector Behind Brushes Across Empire: Sir James Stewart Lockhart

16 February 2026

David MacDonald

Lyon & Turnbull are proud to present works from the personal collection of scholar and diplomat Sir James Stewart Lockhart this March. Brushes Across Empire: Works from the Collection of Sir James Stewart Lockhart will lead the next Asian Works of Art sale on 11 March 2026.

Sir James Haldan Stewart Lockhart KCMG (1858 - 1937) worked in China for 42 years first in Hong Kong from 1879 and then in Weihaiwei from 1903-1921, and his relationship with China was a profound, life-long one. For him, those years in China were a life-changing opportunity to develop a sophisticated understanding of Chinese language, history, philosophy, literature and art.²

Asian Works of Art

Browse the March 2026 edition of Asian Works of Art online now.

Stewart Lockhart was different from many of those arriving in China from Britain. He was part of the phenomenon of late 19^th century scholar-diplomats. His circle of contemporaries and friends included Herbert Allen Giles (1845-1935) and, importantly, Sir Reginald Johnston (1874-1938).

There are a few surviving reminders of the man in modern Hong Kong, the most obvious being Lockhart Road in Wan Chai and the Hong Kong Football Club which he founded. However, it is his collection of Chinese artefacts, calligraphy and coins which pay testament to him being a resolute Sinophile.

Collecting Chinese art, for him, was more than simply the acquisition of beauty. Crucially, it enabled the pursuit of learning.

Illustrated from left to right:

Sir James Haldane Stewart Lockhart Bidding Farewell to Chinese Officials, Chinan;
Reginald Fleming Johnston, Sir James Haldane Stewart Lockhart and Clementi outside Government House;
Sir James Haldane Stewart Lockhart and Two Others in Yen Tang Hills 1919

One of the best Chinese scholars among foreigners of his time in China

Henry James Lethbrridge

Beginnings

At George Watson’s College in Edinburgh, he was a clever and able schoolchild, and in 1872 was awarded the highest prize of Dux. His aptitude for Classical languages informed his choice of degree at the University in Edinburgh, but despite winning the gold medal for Greek, he left before graduating to pursue a career overseas.

In 1878, after taking the Civil Service exams, he became a Hong Kong cadet. A prerequisite year followed learning Chinese at King’s College, London. Developing his linguistic skills became a passion. Indeed, in November 1879 after arriving in Hong Kong he hurriedly moved to Guangdong to study Cantonese.

Sir James Haldane Stewart Lockhart and Party on the Top of T'ai Shan

"The Poetry and the Pleasure" Mary Stewart Lockhart ³

An early friend, Ku Hung Ming, an assistant to the Viceroy of Guangzhou, introduced him to Confucianism and hardened a resolve that he could only ever meaningfully work in China with complete competency in language.⁴

During the 1880s as his prowess in Cantonese improved so did his love for the country and culture. He compiled copious notes on history, poetry and literature and spent hours on translation. From 1881 he wrote about Chinese language for the ‘China Review’. His inquisitive mind demanded research, and he valued the thoughts of others, in 1886 for example he advertised in the press or information on Chinese folklore.⁵

In 1893 he completed ‘A Manual of Chinese Quotations' based on a translation of Cheng Yu K’ao by Ch’iu Chin, a scholar of the Ming Dynasty.

CHINESE LANDSCAPE

DONG QIGENG (CHINESE,1838-?)

A gift to Sir James Stewart Lockhart (1858-1937) from Zhou Datang in 1898; Exhibition: Edinburgh, City Art Centre, An Ardent Collector, December 1982/January 1983, catalogue no. 13.

‘An Ardent Collector’ George Sinclair Moss⁶

He was intrigued by disciplines often neglected in the West which made for vigorous study. He began collecting Chinese currency in earnest from the early 1880s and continued throughout his life. Numismatics opened a lasting network, his friendship with Sir Robert Hotung was significant until Sir James’ death. His biographer Shiona Airlie writes, ‘For him, history and art were inseparable.⁷

He published, ‘The Currency of the Farther East’, in three volumes between 1895 to 1898. His study of the subject culminated in 1914 with, The Stewart Lockhart Collection of Chinese Copper Coins, which was to become an important work of reference.

TWO 'BIRD AND FLOWER' FAN PAINTINGS

REN YI (REN BONIAN, CHINESE, 1840-1896), SHANGHAI SCHOOL

Acquired by Sir James Stewart Lockhart (1858-1937) through Tse Tsan-tai (1872-1938), Hong Kong, 17 September 1910, for HK $18 as two of a set of three

£1,500 - 2,000 + fees

‘My Picture Mania’ Sir James Stewart Lockhart⁸

During the early decades of his time in China he received hanging scrolls as gifts, including the large landscape painting by Dong Qigeng (lot 23),⁹ which was a gift from Zhou Datang in 1898.

In 1903 he became Commissioner of Weihaiwei. It was here that paintings became a serious pursuit. Collecting for him represented the joy of contemplation and study, and acquiring Chinese paintings allowed the fullest expression of this. The appeal, particularly of literati painting, was enormous.

Tse Tsan-tai (1872 –1938), the anti-Qing-dynasty revolutionary encouraged him. Tse, a collector himself, was a complex and intelligent man, amongst his talents he designed airships, drew cartoons and was co-founder of the South China Post. Initially Tse was a source of political cartoons and posters.¹⁰Between 1910-1917 his collecting, with Tse as agent, was voracious. In just four years, he spent HK$4000.¹¹ The first group in June 1910 cost HK$450 and included Chinese Landscape Ink Painting after Song Xu (lot 33).

Sir James Haldane Stewart Lockhart at a Ming Dynasty Stone Elephant near Beijing

In September 1910, Tse introduced modern painting to his client, who bought works by Ren Yi (lot 54) for HK $18.In 1911, he further acquired works by other Shanghai School artists, including Wu Qingyun (lot 45) and Qian Hu'ian (lot 76).

From 1915 Sir James diligently began cataloguing the 500 works he owned. His daughter Mary recalled, ‘During the long winters in North China he would hang up a few paintings from his collection every day, in order that he might study them.’¹² Touchingly, he annotated his catalogue ‘B’ or ‘BX’ for works Mary loved.¹³

In 1921 Sir James returned to London and became established in a community of Chinese expatriates and those who had worked in China, the commonality was usually education and art. He continued his membership of the Royal Asiatic Society, joined the Universities China Committee and the Governing Body of SOAS at London University. Towards the end of his life, he was on the committee of the seminal International Exhibition of Chinese Art at the Royal Academy, 1935-1936.

FOUR LANDSCAPE INK PAINTINGS, DATED 1906

WU QINGYUN (CHINESE, 1845-1916), SHANGHAI SCHOOL

Acquired by Sir James Stewart Lockhart (1858-1937) through Tse Tsan-tai (1872-1938), Hong Kong, 1911

£2,000 - 3,000 + fees

He lent works to important exhibitions, including those at the gallery of his daughter Mary Stewart Lockhart (the celebrated designer Betty Joel) in 1927, 1936 and 1937.¹⁴ The collection grew as he befriended with contemporary artists, including Chiang Yee who gifted him Chinese Ink Painting of Crane with Pine Tree (lot 52) for his 70^th birthday in 1928.

In 1966 Mary presented her father’s paintings to his former school, George Watson’s College in Edinburgh. For 20 years that institution has leant the collection to the National Museum of Scotland. Now, the curated group offered here allows scholars and those who love Chinese art, like Sir James, ‘pleasure from the poetry’. The money raised from this auction will provide bursary places for others to learn at George Watson’s College.

Lyon & Turnbull kindly thank David Macdonald for his research and knowledge with regards this collection.

All images National Galleries of Scotland. The Stewart Lockhart Photographic Archive, on loan from George Watson’s College to the Scottish National Photography Collection

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¹Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, vol. 12, 1972, p. 55, H. J. Lethbridge, ‘Sir James Stewart Lockhart: Colonial Civil Servant and Scholar’.
²For more on the life of Sir James Stewart Lockhart, see Shiona Airlie’s excellent biography, Thistle and Bamboo, The Life and Times of Sir James Stewart Lockhart, Hong Kong University Press, 2012.
³Mary Stewart Lockhart in her foreword for the exhibition catalogue of her father’s collection, An Ardent Collector, City Art Centre, Edinburgh, 1982/83, p. 3.
⁴Shiona Airlie, The Creation of a Collection, The Sir James Stewart Lockhart Collection of Chinese Art, and Artefacts, (privately published), May 1979, p. 3.
⁵In the Chinese Review (Edinburgh, An Ardent Collector, 1982/83, catalogue, p. 5).
⁶Letter from G. S. Moss to Stewart Lockhart, 1925, ‘Knowing you, as an ardent collector…’ (National Library of Scotland, Inv. Acc.4138, papers of Sir James Haldane Stewart Lockhart). And the title of the 1982/83 exhibition of works from the collection.
⁷Airlie, op. cit., 1979, p. 10.
⁸Letter from Stewart Lockhart to his daughter Mary, 21 May 1915 (National Library of Scotland, Inv. Acc.4138, papers of Sir James Haldane Stewart Lockhart).
⁹Edinburgh, An Ardent Collector, 1982/83, catalogue, p. 6
¹⁰Letter from Tse to Stewart Lockhart, dated 19 February 1910 (National Library of Scotland, Inv. Acc.4138, papers of Sir James Haldane Stewart Lockhart). Five of these posters are on loan for exhibition from this autumn at the Museum of Hong Kong History.
¹¹Airlie, op. cit., 2012, p. 159.
¹²Airlie, op. cit, 1979, p. 14.
¹³Mary Stewart Lockhart’s blue notebook containing a biography of her father, 1966 (National Library of Scotland, Inv. Acc.4138, papers of Sir James Haldane Stewart Lockhart).
¹⁴London, Chinese Painting, Betty Joel Gallery; June-July 1927;
London, Modern Chinese Painting, Betty Joel Gallery, January-February 1936;
London, Loan Exhibition of Chinese Imperial Painting, Betty Joel Gallery, November 1937.

駱克爵士與中國藝術：學思與收藏

David Macdonald，愛丁堡，2025 年

「他是當時在華外國人當中最優秀的中國學者之一」Henry James Lethbridge

James Haldane Stewart Lockhart KCMG 爵士（1858 - 1937年）在華工作42載，1879年起任職香港，1903至21年間於山東威海衛工作。駱克爵士與中國關係深厚長久，貫徹終生。他視在華歲月為人生契機，讓其得以潛心究研中國語言、歷史、哲理、文藝，憑所得貢獻中國社會未來。

十九世紀晚期，來華外交官當中不乏學問豐富之學者，駱克正屬於其中一位，他們卓然於群，與其他從英國來華之人士頗有不同。同期與駱克友好者包括翟理斯（Herbert Allen Giles，1845-1935年)及莊士敦爵士 (Reginald Johnston，1874-1938年)，後者曾任溥儀的外籍帝師及顧問之要職。

今日香港，尚有駱克爵士之足跡，如灣仔駱克道等，而香港足球會亦乃由其創立。其珍藏中國藝術品、書法及錢幣，更足證其對中國文化之熱愛。他收藏中國骨董，既因藝術之美，更為從中學習，深化學養。

駱克爵士自幼即現聰慧資質，童年入讀愛丁堡 George Watson’s College成績優異，1872年獲元首勳章（Dux Medal）最高榮譽。其對古典語言極具天賦，於愛丁堡大學修習相關學科，成績出衆，並憑希臘文科目獲金獎嘉許。不過駱克為發展海外事業，未曾畢業便已離校。

1878 年參加公務員考試後，獲派香港實習生一職，並依例先於倫敦英皇書院修習一年，期間對學習語言之熱情日隆，1879 年 11 月抵達香港，即前往廣東學習粵語。

詩詞之樂

駱克初至華南，與辜鴻銘（1857–1928）友好，辜氏時任兩廣總督之幕僚，向駱克介紹儒學，使之篤定一志：若欲在華盡職，非精熟華語不可。

至1880年代，其粵語日益純熟，情感亦愈與中華風物相契，而且嗜學不倦，涉獵歷史、詩詞、文學等，筆記盈帙，並勤於翻譯，1881 年起定期為《China Review》撰寫文章，論述華語研究。其求知之心甚切，尤好集思廣益，1886年間曾於報章刊登廣告，徵集民間傳說，足見其好學謙沖。

1893 年，駱克根據明代文人邱濬 (1419-1495年)《成語考》譯本，著作《A Manual of Chinese Quotations》。

醉心鑒藏

駱克致力研習之學問所涉，往往乃為西方所忽視之科目，自1880 年代早期開始致力收藏中國錢幣，畢生努力不懈。研究錢幣，更為其拓濶交遊，其與何東爵士（Sir Robert Hotung）情誼匪淺，終生往來未輟。其傳記作者Shiona Airlie評論：「於駱克而言，歷史與藝術實不可分。」

1895至1898年間，駱克陸續刊行《The Currency of the Farther East》三卷，1914年著《The Stewart Lockhart Collection of Chinese Copper Coins》，集其所識，乃此學科之重要參考典籍。

熱愛書畫

駱克旅華最初數十年間，偶爾獲饋書畫立軸，包括周達堂1889年送贈之董起庚山水大中堂立軸 (拍品XX) 。時至1903 年，駱克於山東威海衛任職專員之後，方才開始正式收藏國畫。對駱克而言，收藏之樂在於觀賞研習，入藏中國書畫，尤能盡顯斯趣，而文人畫又對其尤具吸引力。

協助其收藏者，包括革命志士謝纘泰（1872–1938年）。謝氏本身亦為藏家，一生傳奇，才華橫溢，既設計飛艇，又繪畫漫畫，並與友合創香港《南華早報》。最初謝氏為駱克提供政治漫畫與宣傳海報，至1910至1917年間擔任其收藏之代理，大量入藏中國書畫。四年間，駱克花費四千港元購買書畫，其中1910年6月首批藏品購自謝氏，共450港元，包括宋旭（款）山水高士圖 (拍品XX)。同年9月，謝氏向駱克介紹時代名家，遂以18港元入藏任頤花鳥圖扇頁 (拍品 XXX) 。翌年（1911），駱克陸續購入其他海派畫家如吳慶雲(拍品XX) 及錢慧安(拍品XX) 的作品。

自1915年始，駱克爵士開始努力編纂所藏書畫目錄，藏品達五百餘件。其女瑪麗憶述：「華北漫長寒冬之間，父親每日懸掛數幅藏畫，細細觀賞研習。」駱克爵士並於目錄中親筆註記「B」或「BX」以標示瑪麗喜愛之作，可見慈父疼愛女兒之情。

1921年，駱克爵士返回倫敦，並加入英國華僑社區，以及曾在華工作者組成之群體，透過教育及藝術聯繫友誼。他繼續為皇家亞洲學會（Royal Asiatic Society）成員，並出任倫敦大學亞非學院之大學中國委員會及理事會成員，晚年更擔任1935至1936年倫敦皇家藝術學院舉辦國際中國藝術展籌備委員，此展為西方認識中國藝術之里程碑。

駱克爵士多次借出藏品作重要展覽，尤見於女兒Mary Stewart Lockhart（著名設計師Betty Joel）1927年、1936年及1937年所辦之畫廊展覽。隨著認識同時代的藝術家，其收藏亦繼續增益，包括蔣彝為其七旬誕辰所繪贈之松鶴圖 (拍品XX) 。

1966年，瑪麗將書畫贈予父親母校愛丁堡George Watson’s College。自此二十年間，書院將作品借展於蘇格蘭國家博物館。這次上拍藏品皆為精心挑選之作，供學界及愛好中國藝術者共賞，盼其能感受當年駱克爵士所描述「詩詞之樂」。拍賣收益，將用於獎學金資助，予後學於書院深造。

Department