The Collector

The Collector is the title of today’s post.  I have a penchant for collecting and never really advanced past Erik H. Erikson’s “Age of Collection” which for the child development specialist among you is about age 10 to 12 hmmm maybe younger like age 6 to 8!  Remember the younger days when Marbles and balls of string held such fascination.  I had a huge collection of baseball cards that filled two shoe boxes that today would be drooled over by the avid “Collector” of such things.

Today, the Collecting urge still raises its head and my shelves are filled with old telegraph keys, books and tea wear, notably Yixing clay pots.  If you have followed along with me there have been previous posts on these little wonders of the craftsman that hold wonderful utility in the making of tea.  Recently I have expanded my collecting of tea things to include Gaiwan’s which are porcelain cups designed perfectly for the brewing of tea.

My passion for collecting the little Yixing clay pots is driving the rest of the family a little nuts.  You can always tell when collecting goes far when the family comments on it with statements like, “Oh no not another one of those things.  Don’t you have enough of them already?”  This is the delema of a “collector”.  When is too much enough?  In my mind there is always another rarer more collectable out there and the search is on!

But today’s post is not about me.  I met today one of the most remarkable men in Shanghai.  Luo Ming is a business man and manufacturer of fine Red Wood furniture with a factory in the Fujian Provence.  Mr. Luo is not just a collector but an avid collector of all things Chinese Art.  His interests include the Yixing Clay and Giawans from the Ming and Song dynaties including all kinds of carved wood and sculpted works and pottery.  His home in one of the most presigious areas of Shanghai was literally filled with antiques from the Ming and Song Dynasties.  His home was simply amazing!  I have included a few of the pictures of the wonderful home which was more like a fabulous museum for me.  Mr. Luo was a childhood friend of my wife’s “Baba” and served us wonderful Fujian oolong tea from one of his Yixing pots.  I was staggered by his collection which he began when he was a small school boy.

Visiting Mr. Luo’s home and meeting his lovely wife and family, looking over his artwork briefly, is one of the highlights of my visit to China this year.

You can see pictures of the artwork that I was privaledged to view at flickr.  This is only a very small sample of the collection.