It has evolved into one of New York’s longest-running fights over an estate.
这宗遗产争夺案，已成为纽约持续时间最久的这类案件之一。
For more than a decade, the family of C. C. Wang, acollector whose name graces a gallery at theMetropolitan Museum of Art, has been battling over atrove of classical Chinese paintings and scrolls thathas been described as among the finest in the world.
十多年来，王己千(C. C. Wang)的家人一直在争夺一批世界一流的中国古画和卷轴。王己千是一名收藏家，纽约大都会艺术博物馆(Metropolitan Museum of Art)以他的名字命名了一间陈列室。
Now, the feud has escalated. In the past month, two of Mr. Wang’s children, who have beenfighting in Surrogate’s Court in Manhattan since his death in 2003 at 96, filed lawsuits in stateand federal courts accusing each other of looting and deceit.
现在，宿怨进一步升级。王己千2003年过世，享年96岁，此后他的两名子女一直在曼哈顿的遗嘱检验法院(Surrogate’s Court)争夺遗产。过去一个月中，这两名子女分别在州级法院和联邦法院提起诉讼，指控对方存在劫掠和欺诈行为。
But beyond the family strife, a broader issue is dismaying Chinese-art experts for whom theWang collection has long been a source of wonder.
但是，在家庭纷争之外，还有一个更大的问题令中国艺术领域的专家感到失望。一直以来，王己千藏品都是这些专家仰慕的对象。
Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of works from an estate once valued in court papers at more than$60 million have gone missing, including an 11th-century scroll, “The Procession of TaoistImmortals,” that is viewed in China as a national treasure.
法庭文件显示，王己千遗产的价值超过6000万美元(约合3.7亿元人民币)。然而，已有数十件，或许是数百件作品不知所踪，其中一幅11世纪的卷轴《朝元仙仗图》，在中国被视为国宝。
“This is heartbreaking, and it is happening right here in the city,” said Laura B. Whitman, aspecialist in Chinese art formerly with Sotheby’s and Christie’s, who used to visit Mr. Wang athis apartment in New York to view his collection.
“这事令人心碎，它就发生在这座城里，”曾为苏富比(Sotheby’s)和佳士得(Christie’s)工作的中国艺术类专家劳拉·B·惠特曼(Laura B. Whitman)说。王己千在世的时候，她会到他在纽约的公寓拜访，观看他的藏品。