For over 50 years, Mr Au Bak Ling (left image) passionately searched for the finest and rarest Chinese ceramics, forming an extraordinary collection comprising pieces spanning from the Song to Qing dynasties — China’s golden era of ceramic production. Mr Au was particularly renowned for his collection of exquisite Chenghua period (1465–1487) imperial porcelains. In 1998, highlights from his collection were displayed at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in an exhibition titled ‘100 Masterpieces from the Au Bak Ling Collection’. This was the first exhibition of Chinese ceramics from a private collection held at the Royal Academy since its founding in 1768, underscoring the collection’s significance in the global art world.