The Harkins Collection
About the Collection
A privately held estate collection of Chinese furniture and decorative arts, assembled over several decades.
The Harkins Collection is a privately held estate collection of Chinese furniture and decorative arts, assembled over several decades by a collector whose career and residence were centred in Asia. It reflects a sustained interest in traditional Chinese craftsmanship, architectural design and decorative symbolism, and in substantial objects of enduring visual character.
Rather than a random accumulation of souvenirs, the collection comprises a coherent group of furniture, architectural elements, carved and lacquered objects, ceramics, metalwork, lighting and traditional domestic forms. Among its principal works are an eight-panel carved lacquer screen, carved architectural elements, substantial cabinets, carved and decorative mirrors, blue-and-white and polychrome ceramics, bronze-style vessels, a large copper platter and painted landscape panels.
A collector’s eye
The objects share a preference for substantial, well-made pieces with strong craftsmanship and architectural or decorative presence. Many were selected not simply as furnishings but as architectural and artistic elements capable of defining an interior — evident above all in the carved screen, the architectural woodwork, the larger cabinets and the painted panels. The collection is particularly notable for combining furniture and architectural-scale objects with smaller decorative arts.
Acquisition history
Several of the principal pieces were reportedly acquired through Just Anthony in Singapore, a specialist dealer in Chinese furniture and decorative arts. Dealer provenance of this kind provides valuable context for the collection’s history; it does not, by itself, establish the precise age, authenticity or attribution of an individual object, and the catalogue is careful to preserve that distinction.
The catalogue
Each object is recorded under a stable accession number (HC-001 to HC-030), with available dimensions, materials, construction, condition, provenance, marks and photography. Attributions are stated conservatively, and any that remain unresolved are identified as such. Catalogue entries may be revised as additional documentation or specialist assessment becomes available.