Ancient Chinese art, porcelain and furniture from late Hong Kong tycoon’s private collection to open for public viewing and auction

A descendant of ‘the grand old man of Hong Kong’, Joseph Hotung amassed a large Chinese art collection, from Yuan-dynasty pottery to ancient Buddhist statues

Many pieces from his home that were only ever privately displayed will go on show and sale in Hong Kong in October, and London in December

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Joseph Hotung’s blue-and-white porcelain jar from the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). Previously closed to the public, the late Hong Kong property magnate’s Chinese art collection will open for viewing and sale in Hong Kong in October. Photo: Sotheby’s

Published: 6:15pm, 28 Sep 2022

For those from Hong Kong, the Hotung name is likely to ring a bell.

Robert Hotung – at one point the wealthiest individual in Hong Kong – came from humble beginnings before building his wealth through a variety of business ventures, including an extensive investment property portfolio.

He would eventually be known as “the grand old man of Hong Kong”, as well as the first Chinese person to be allowed to live on The Peak – Hong Kong’s most exclusive residential neighbourhood.

He became patriarch of the Hotung family, one of the four historic influential business families of Hong Kong, and his descendants followed in his footsteps, embarking on numerous business and philanthropic endeavours. Among them was Joseph Hotung, a Eurasian real estate magnate who grew up between Shanghai and Hong Kong.

After studying at a boarding school in Tianjin, in northeastern China, he went to the United States for his undergraduate and graduate studies, and pursued a banking career in New York, before moving back to Hong Kong and getting into real estate.

Joseph Hotung (right) in 1996, after winning the Montblanc de la Culture Award – given for support of the arts – with Lavender Patten (middle), the wife of Hong Kong’s former governor, Chris Patten; and Lord Douro, chairman of the Montblanc Foundation. Photo: SCMP

During his 40s, the established businessman began an unexpected journey in art collecting after discovering a pair of Qing dynasty (1644-1911) jade bowls while waiting for a delayed flight in the 1970s.