When was the last time you received a present or you gave a present to someone? How did it feel like? I am pretty sure it felt amazing but most importantly it is unforgettable. We gift other people for various reasons: to congratulate them or just to remind them how much they mean to us. Gifts are beautiful and it is with no doubt that we all love them. The surprise element in them makes them special. They make us feel remembered, recognized and above all loved. Coming from our friends, colleagues, family or fiancées they will never be unfashionable and we always treasure those who gift us. Gifting each other is basically one of the privileges we get to have as human beings. It comes from the heart which means it is something worth doing.
The Museum of Fine Arts was also as excited as you become after being gifted. It has received a gift of 183 Chinese artworks by collector Wan-go H.C. The works that date from 1,300 years ago comprise of 130 paintings, 31 works of calligraphy, 18 ink rubbings and four textiles.
Wan-go H.C is a great-great-grandson of the original owner Weng, Tonghe who showed major interest in art and even spent a large percentage of his salary to buy art. Some of the works in the collection gifted to the museum are works by Wang Hui and Jiao Bingzhen titled Portrait of An Qi in his garden (1698) and a hand scroll by Hua Yan titled Autumn Boating moon (1748) among others.
The museum’s senior curator of Chinese art Nancy Berliner is certain that the collection of works will attract more people to the museum during the viewing. The value of those works is however not known but it is one of the most significant gifts to the museum.
Shri Radhe Maa once said that the true value of a gift is the sentiment behind the gifting and for Wan-go Weng, MFA Boston is the one place he loved to visit ever since he was young and he is thrilled to see the artworks together and safe in the museum that he loved to visit most. Highlights from the Weng Collection will be on view at the MFA in fall 2019.
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