The Hong Kong Museum of Art has launched an exhibition highlighting a landmark donation of more than 2,000 Cantonese and export artefacts from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), marking the largest single gift the museum has ever received.

Veteran local art collector Simon Kwan Sin-ming, founder of the Muwen Tang collection and distinguished Hong Kong architect, made the donation.

The artefacts encompass over 10 categories including oil paintings, painted enamels, silverware, fans, ivory carvings, textiles, lacquerware and timepieces, mostly made for the export market.

To honor this gift, the museum has designated the Muwen Tang Gallery of Cantonese and Export Art to display these exceptional treasures in the inaugural exhibition, titled Proudly from Canton: The Muwen Tang Collection of Cantonese and Export Art.

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The exhibition will run from May 29 to July 4, 2027, with free admission.

Speaking at the exhibition opening and the donation and gallery inauguration ceremony on Thursday, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said the collection is comprehensive in scope and rich in variety, with each piece being exceptionally precious, and will help consolidate the museum global leadership in the collection and study of export art.

“The arrival of this precious collection in Hong Kong perfectly echoes the city's important role as an East-meets-West center for international cultural exchange,” she added.

Featuring over 120 representative sets of donated items, the exhibition showcases a refined balance of Qing Dynasty Cantonese craft for imperial aesthetics, export demand, and local taste, to chart the golden age of Cantonese craftsmanship on the world stage.

One of the most remarkable pieces is a Qing Dynasty Cantonese gilt silver filigree tea set, which once belonged to Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and was known as the “Queen’s tea service”.

Crafted entirely in gilt silver filigree with intricate ornamentation, it represents the pinnacle of export silverware from the Qianlong period (1735-96) during the Qing Dynasty. It is one of only two complete sets of the dynasty export filigree silverware known to exist at present.

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As a native Cantonese person born and raised in Hong Kong, Kwan expressed his hopes that the donation will ultimately help the museum showcase Cantonese culture with greater representation and further promote Lingnan art.

In the exhibition, an interactive zone takes visitors to a 19th-century Cantonese reverse glass painting studio to experience the craft of reverse glass painting during the Qing Dynasty through AI-powered interactive devices, and complete portrait commissions for distant patrons and embark on an artistic journey across centuries.