The Kirknorton Collection comprises a rich and varied assemblage of Chinese artefacts acquired mainly in the 1970s and ’80s by an English lawyer who came to Hong Kong as a 25-year-old for a glimpse of the Orient and decided to remain there under its spell. Whilst gradually extending his interest to Chinese bronzes, terracotta, paintings, and furniture, it was to finely carved jade handling pieces that he found himself initially drawn—particularly animals—and these formed the centrepiece of the collection. We find special resonance with this collection as its main theme is animal carvings, spanning almost three thousand years in date. Many of them are accompanied by their original 1970s and 1980s purchase invoices. Several pieces have also been exhibited in Art & Imitation in China, organized by the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong in 2006.
Fine Art Asia, Hong Kong, October 2021
A celadon jade model of a tribute bearer, China: Tang dynasty (618–907)
A pale celadon and russet jade model of a fox, China: Song dynasty (960–1279)
A dark-and-pale grey jade model of a qilin, China: Yuan dynasty (1279–1368)
A black and grey jade erotic monkey group, China: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)