HIPPISLEY, Alfred Edward.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

A Catalogue of the Hippisley Collection of Chinese Porcelains: First edition in book form, here attractively bound, of this detailed guide to the author's extraordinary collection which was exhibited at the Smithsonian National Museum in the late 1880s. The enumerative catalogue is complemented by a 50-page treatise on styles and artisan production techniques.Hippisley (1848-1939) entered the Chinese Maritime Customs Service in 1867, rising to the rank of commissioner before his retirement in 1908. A close associate of Sir Robert Hart, he amassed an extensive collection of Chinese porcelain which he loaned to the American National Museum in 1887 "with the understanding that they should be allowed to remain on exhibition for at least two years, and that the museum should print a descriptive catalogue" (p. 387). His catalogue was first printed as part of the 1888 Report of the National Museum.

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