Chinese antiques collector puts his exquisite pieces on display
One collector of Chinese antiques is putting his exquisite pieces on display in the hope of encouraging other owners to do likewise, writes Enid Tsui
Two flawless white dishes adorned with bamboo and a poem are on show at the Hong Kong Museum of Art, and they are undoubtedly among the most beautiful things you are likely to see at a local exhibition this year.
The dishes were commissioned by the Qing emperor Yongzheng in the early 18th century and exhibit the delicacy and elegance of the best falangcai wares. They are also strangely affecting, despite their formal style. They capture that timeless desire shared by king and craftsman to leave the madding crowd behind and, in an instant, draw the viewer into a world of serenity.
The principle among Chinese collectors is to keep quiet about what you have
These are but two of the 270 exquisite objects featured in the prosaically titled "Ming and Qing Chinese Arts from the C. P. Lin Collection" exhibition running until September 28.
Lin, a retired lawyer born in 1933, was modest about his collection at the exhibition opening. "It's all thanks to the museum's arrangements that everything look so nice. I am showing these humble items here simply to encourage those with far superior collections to share them with the public," says Lin, who is a respected figure among aficionados of Chinese antiques.
Cosmopolitan, well educated and well off, Lin and others like him became a new class of Chinese collector in the 1960s and '70s, acquiring important works decades before the arrival of international auctions and art shows in Hong Kong.
