Tycoon art collector Liu's treasure trove

 Here are some of Liu’s recent mind-blowing purchases of art:

The Meiyintang 'Chicken Cup' [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Meiyintang 'Chicken Cup'

The porcelain cup, only 8.2 centimeters high, marks the pinnacle of the Chenghua style of porcelain-making, in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It was fashioned with the doucai method, featuring a contrast of overglaze enamel with underglaze outlines. It boasts rich tones including yellow, red, olive green and underglaze blue.

Less than 20 genuine Chenghua chicken cups are in existence and only four are kept in private hands. Liu paid $36 million for the cup at Sotheby’s Hong Kong sale last April, setting a record for Chinese porcelain at auction.

He triggered controversy by sipping tea from the cup in the photos of a hand-over ceremony. He later exhibited the cup at the Long Museum while limited edition replicas were sold out at the museum’s gift shop.