Mr. Wu Pei 吴培, born in 1957, is a renowned Chinese porcelain collector who has resided in Belgium for nearly 30 years. He has amassed a collection of over 3,000 pieces of export porcelain. In 2014, he established a porcelain museum in his hometown Rugao city 如皋, Jiangsu Province, which showcases over 1,000 exquisite Chinese export porcelain pieces from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The collection includes export porcelain with traditional Chinese motifs and custom-made export porcelain for foreign orders. These commissions span a diverse spectrum, from the regal armorial pieces and those commissioned by discerning families for special occasions to porcelain pieces crafted to embellish with Greek mythological tales.

Figural story scene above: The Couple’s Tryst in the Phoenix Pavilion Making Dong Zhuo Fly into a Fury

Motifs and symbols above: Fish and lotus

Pun rebus picture above: May you live in peace and leisure

Pun rebus picture above: May you do well in exams and enjoy wealth and prestige

During the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, China exported over a hundred million pieces of porcelain to Europe. Its translucent texture and beautiful colours captured the attention of the European upper class, with Western royal nobility vying to collect them as precious treasures. Ming and Qing export porcelain holds a unique style, influence, and position in the history of Chinese porcelain production and ceramic trade. Over the years, Mr. Wu Pei has dedicated himself to the study and collection of Chinese export porcelain, discovering numerous porcelain treasures from different dynasties that had been scattered overseas.

See more of Wu Pei’s Chinese export porcelain collection here.