The Odyssey of a family in the 20th century

In 1896, as construction began for a new railway line through Northern Manchuria, Russians flocked to the border town of Harbin.

It is to this turn-of-the-century diaspora that the collector’s family belongs, as they first moved to Harbin, then to Shanghai. Inquisitive and cultured, the collector had a gift for languages and quickly met success in business. He arrived in Shanghai in the 1930s and began to collect jade, porcelain and snuff-bottles.

The collector’s son also contributed to expanding the collection, acquiring works from renowned English art dealers such as Spink & Son.

The collection is marked by the great number of extraordinary white, yellow and pale celadon jades, the imperial quality of which is a testament to the collector’s keen eye and in-depth knowledge of the medium.

Having remained in the family since their acquisition, the Chinese objects complement masterpieces of 18th century French decorative arts, as a pair of pedestals by AndréCharles Boulle and an imperial secretary cabinet by David Roentgen, all superbly arranged together by Daniel Pasgrimaud, whom the family asked to decorate their house on the Riviera in 1990.

Daniel Pasgrimaud produced one of his most beautiful interiors by combining several styles, centuries and continents under one roof.