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014

Auctions

The largest private collection of Asian art ever to come to auction is

scheduled to go under the hammer in March 2015.

The group, which numbers in excess of 2,000 pieces, was gathered

together by Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, a distinguished American scholar and

collector and includes objects from China, Japan, India, Tibet and Vietnam.

Christie’s will be publicising the sale by staging public exhibitions of the

collection in a number of cities including Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beijing and

London, prior to the final sale at New York’s Rockefeller Center.

Ellsworth was a pioneer of Asian art at a time when its popularity was less

pronounced than it is today. He displayed much of his collection within his

22-room Manhattan residence and his home became a gathering place for

clients, academics and anyone with an interest in the subject.

He built a reputation for his expertise in Chinese furniture and for his ability

to identify often overlooked Himalayan and Southeast Asian artworks. He was

also a champion of the merits of 19th- and 20th-century Chinese painting.

www.christies.com

Legendary Asian art collection on sale

The Diary

Robert Ellsworth in China (above);

his Manhattan residence (top)