About the Collection

In 1994, the K.S. Lo Foundation generously donated some 20 pieces of valuable Chinese ceramic items and over 600 stone seals to the former Urban Council. In order to properly preserve and exhibit this collection, a new wing entitled The K.S. Lo Gallery was constructed at the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware and the first floor of this Gallery has been reserved for the permanent display of the cream of the collection.

The Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware would like to thank the K.S. Lo Foundation for the donation of this bountiful gift, without which the construction of the The K.S. Lo Gallery would never have been realised, and the donation has formed the core collection of Gallery. The display of the donation provides a good opportunity for local and overseas visitors to admire the superb craftsmanship of the Chinese people.

Dr K.S. Lo sadly passed away in 1995. However, his zealous devotion to Chinese culture and his enthusiasm for the promotion of the art of tea drinking and tea ware as well as the seal carving will always be remembered.

The batch of seals donated by the K.S. Lo Foundation, comprises of works dated from the Ming dynasty to the twentieth century. Highlights include works carved by Cheng Sui (1607–1692) of the Ming dynasty, Qi Baishi (1863–1957) and the Eight Masters of Xiling of the Qing dynasty, as well as some contemporary seal carvers of Guangdong. The tianhuang stone seal carved by Cheng Sui is the most precious piece among the collection.

The exhibition “Seal Carving in Lingnan” has been held at the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware since 2020, featuring around 60 Chinese seals generously donated by the K.S. Lo Foundation, to introduce the history of Lingnan seal carving and the cultural interflow between Hong Kong and Mainland China in the early days.

This online collection available on the Hong Kong Memory web portal showcases the images of seals and textual materials of the abovementioned exhibition, viewers could appreciate the seal carving and catch a glimpse of Hong Kong seal community in the bygone days, from which to trace the paths of the development of sigillography in Hong Kong and examine the role of Hong Kong in the legacy of Lingnan seal carving.