A Famille Rose Chilong Washer Yongzheng Period L:15cm Through My Grandpa's Eyes - Why Collecting Matters This is the story of my grandfather. Like most great stories, when it comes down to it, it's a love story of the truest form. My grandpa, Raymond Robert was born in 1921 and passed away at the ripe old age of 98. He has lived a rich and productive life. He was such a wonderful person - loving, kind, devoted and diligent. He used to tell me a lot of stories about his treasures and now I'm ready to share them with you. When the Second World War came, he got sent to Asia as a reporter. After that, he settled and spent most of his life working, traveling and collecting Asian art. Over the years, he formed wonderful and impressive collections of Asian art, including Imperial bronzes, porcelains, ceramics, jade carvings, and Buddhist art. He told me that the joy of collecting is the opportunity to communicate with the spirit of the works of art and to connect them with the world we live in. He said that owning a piece of art will change your understanding of it over time, depends on your mood and other circumstances. That is the most fascinating aspect of art collecting. This is the power of art. It touches your soul and can even affect the air around it. What I remember most was he said, "My art collection represents a record of my life story. It reminds me of all the places I've been to, all the people I've encountered, and all the little things I've experienced. It's never something I take for granted." I never realized how similar I was to my grandpa, but now I know he passed a lot of himself on to me. Our love and passion of art open up our world. We sincerely hope you will join us and love our collection.