Meet Wou Kiuan, a late Chinese collector whose vases are about to fetch at least US$15 million at a Sotheby’s auction
- Wou spent decades building one of the most remarkable private collections of Chinese antiquities in Europe
- The former diplomat had pieces that are now selling for over US$15 million each
Wou spent the bulk of his professional career as a diplomat. He was appointed to head the Chinese representation at the League of Nations, a precursor to the United Nations, in 1937. He then took diplomatic posts in Paris and London before he was recalled back to Beijing to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until he retired in 1952.
According to Sotheby’s, one reason for his success as a collector was a flood of Chinese valuables into the London market during the mid-1950s and 1960s. That period of Chinese history was defined by turbulence from the Great Chinese Famine (1958-1962) and the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976).
Sotheby’s said that, from scanning their list of buyers (and that of their competitor Christie’s) through the 1960s, they found the name “Wou” frequently appeared alongside other famous collectors. The auction house estimates that Wou was able to buy over 1,000 pieces through his frequent attendance.
As one of a few high-profile Chinese collectors in London during that time, Wou could identify particularly valuable pieces.
For example, when the English collector Alfred Morrison sold a collection called the “Fonthill Treasures”, Wou was able to acquire five porcelain pieces that were among the most valuable Qing-era pieces in private hands.