White-haired and kindly looking, the Brazilian engineer and architect Renato de Albuquerque belies his 97 years with a new project — a foundation in Portugal to house his collection of Chinese ceramics. Co-founded with his granddaughter Mariana Teixeira de Carvalho, the museum opened in February.
Albuquerque has amassed more than 2,600 pieces, making it the world’s largest private collection of Ming and Qing dynasty ceramics made for export. They are exhibited in the former family home in Sintra, a picturesque town near Lisbon, where the foundation also organises temporary exhibitions of contemporary ceramics and offers artists’ residencies. Here, he recounts a lifetime of collecting.
The first piece I ever bought was a Meissen kerosene lamp, which I found in Santa Catarina, a state in southern Brazil, in 1961. It was an unusual find and I was simply captivated by its craftsmanship.
The favourite work in my collection is probably the five-piece garniture — three baluster vases and two cylindrical vases — of blue and white Jiangxi porcelain, which happens to be the largest known garniture of its kind in existence. It holds a particular significance for me because the only other complete set was assembled by Augustus the Strong [the 18th-century elector of Saxony and king of Poland] — who was, without a doubt, an even greater porcelain enthusiast than I could ever aspire to be; it is now in the Dresden Porcelain Collection. There is something incredibly special about its scale, the artistry of the landscape painting, and the historical context in which it was created.
I am particularly drawn to long-neck blue and white vases from the Yuan dynasty. There is an elegance to their form that is both delicate and commanding.
The work that I see every day, that keeps me company, is a scholar’s rock on my desk in São Paulo. These weathered small rocks, usually grey and punctuated with holes, were used as evocative sculptures on a scholar’s desk, representing microcosms of the universe. They have been collected for centuries; mine dates from the 14th century and comes from the Yangtze riverbed.
If I could own one piece (that is totally unobtainable) it would be the Fonthill Vase. This is the earliest documented piece of Chinese porcelain known to have reached Europe, believed to have been brought by a Franciscan missionary monk, who spent several years in China. The Fonthill Vase is recorded through the centuries in the collections of Louis the Great of Hungary, Charles III of Durazzo, the Dauphin of France and William Beckford of Fonthill Abbey; it is now in the National Museum of Ireland.
I probably missed the chance to acquire many pieces at auction, because I try to stay faithful to my preset limits — though that doesn’t always work. As for regrets — well, I don’t dwell on unsuccessful acquisitions, and I try to move on. However, there have been several hard-to-get pieces that changed hands multiple times before I finally acquired them. A Qing dynasty pair of eagles, decorated in overglaze famille rose enamel and gold is one such example — I followed them through various owners until I was able to secure them.
Collecting is almost a malady but it has been part of my life that has provided me with tremendous pleasure. It’s irrational, certainly not a task. The emotional component is impossible to justify. Collecting is something that happens rather than something I plan.
A major shift over the past decade has been the increased competition from Chinese collectors. When I first started collecting, the Chinese market had little interest in export ceramics — they predominantly sought pieces originally made for China. That has changed dramatically. With the rise of individual wealth in China, the demand for these works has surged, and today Chinese buyers compete fiercely for them. Their purchasing power and determination have reshaped the market, making it far more challenging to secure the best pieces.
The Albuquerque Foundation has been established as a dedicated institution for ceramics, celebrating both historical and contemporary excellence in the field. I embarked on this adventure with my granddaughter, Mariana Teixeira de Carvalho, because we wanted a place where visitors can explore my exceptional collection of Chinese export porcelain and uncover the rich histories these objects carry. It allows my collection to serve a broader purpose — becoming a resource for research and inspiring new perspectives. I am sure that many will also come for the contemporary art programme, to see what our resident artists are creating, or simply to enjoy the restaurant and the garden. Whatever draws them in, I hope they leave with a deeper appreciation for ceramics and perhaps even a newfound passion for the art form that can be passed on to future generations.
albuquerquefoundation.pt
