Robert Hatfield Ellsworth (July 13 1929 – August 3 2014) was an American art dealer based in Manhattan who specialized in Asian paintings, Ming‑dynasty furniture, and Chinese bronzes. Over a career spanning more than five decades, he built a reputation as one of the leading dealers of Chinese art in the United States, and his acquisitions and donations significantly enriched the collections of major American museums.
Early life
Ellsworth was born in Manhattan, New York City. His father, Presley Elmer Ellsworth, was a dentist, and his mother, LaFerne Hatfield Ellsworth, was an opera singer. He was a descendant of Oliver Ellsworth on his paternal side. After his parents divorced when he was four, Ellsworth left school before completing high school but began working in the antiques trade at age 17.
Career
Ellsworth’s entry into the art market began at age 14, when he helped his mother raise funds for China War Relief by trading Chinese gifts such as snuff bottles. By age 19 he was licensed as an antiques trader. In 1959 he opened his own gallery in Manhattan, later moving his business to a townhouse on Fifth Avenue and subsequently to an apartment at 960 Fifth Avenue, where he remained for the rest of his career.
He dealt primarily in Ming‑dynasty furniture, modern Chinese paintings, and ancient Chinese bronzes. Notable clients included John D. Rockefeller III, Sir Joseph Hotung, Herbert Irving, and Brooke Astor. Ellsworth published Chinese Furniture: Hardwood Examples of the Ming and Early Ch'ing Dynasty (1970, reprinted 1997) and Later Chinese Painting and Calligraphy: 1800‑1950 (three‑volume set, 1987). In 1981 he purchased Christian Humann’s collection of 1,600 Chinese works for US$12 million, later selling pieces to institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Sotheby’s auctioned 113 of his paintings in 1993, and Christie’s sold 70 Chinese bronze mirrors in 2012.
Philanthropy
In 1993 Ellsworth founded the Hong‑Kong‑based Chinese Heritage Art Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring Ming and Qing architectural sites in Huangshan’s Huizhou District, Anhui Province. The same year he was named an “honorary citizen of China,” reportedly one of only a few foreigners to receive that distinction.
Personal life
Ellsworth lived in a twenty‑room apartment at 960 Fifth Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and maintained a weekend residence in New Fairfield, Connecticut. He co‑owned the Upper East Side restaurant Gibbon with his longtime companion, Japanese restaurateur Masahiro Hashiguchi. In 1977 his apartment was burglarized, resulting in the loss of artwork valued at approximately $300,000.
Death and legacy
Robert H. Ellsworth died on August 3 2014 at age 85. Following his death, Christie's conducted a posthumous auction of his collection, attracting prominent buyers including Chinese billionaire Liu Yiqian. Ellsworth’s contributions—through both sales and generous donations—have left a lasting imprint on the appreciation and study of Asian art in the United States. His collections continue to be displayed in major museums, and his philanthropic efforts have aided the preservation of Chinese cultural heritage.