Enfilade

Now on view at the Hong Kong Museum of Art:

Art of Gifting: The Fuyun Xuan Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles
Hong Kong Museum of Art, from 12 April 2024

Double-gourd-shaped snuff bottle with floral design in painted enamals on yellow ground, glass, four-character mark of Qianlong and of the period, 1736–95, 6.1 cm high (Hong Kong Museum of Art).

In 2023, the Hong Kong Museum of Art received a generous donation from Mrs. Josephine Sin of 490 Chinese snuff bottles from the Fuyun Xuan Collection—the most extensive and comprehensive of its kind ever received by a museum in Hong Kong. Established by the late local collector Christopher Sin, the Fuyun Xuan Collection is recognised as one of the most important private collections of snuff bottles in the world. Featuring the gems of Mr. Sin’s lifelong collection, this donation represents a significant gift to Hong Kong from the donor couple. Epitomising the finest skills and artistry of Chinese artisans, the small and delicate snuff bottles became popular among nobles and high-ranking officials since emerging in the early Qing dynasty, and were often given as gifts in diplomatic, official, and social settings. Showcasing all of the 490 donated snuff bottles, the exhibition invites viewers to step into the kaleidoscopic world of these miniature, precious gifts.

The exhibition is one of the activities in the Chinese Culture Promotion Series. The LCSD has long been promoting Chinese history and culture through organising an array of programmes and activities to enable the public to learn more about the broad and profound Chinese culture.