HIPPISLEY, Alfred Edward.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

A Sketch of the History of Ceramic Art in China, First edition thus, including plates for the first time. Hippisley's extraordinary collection 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 that 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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