Victor Collin de Plancy

Victor Émile Marie Joseph Collin de Plancy (1853–1922) was a French diplomat, bibliophile and art collector.

He was a career French diplomat who served most of his working life in Korea and amassed a considerable private collection of East Asian art and antiquities. Collin de Plancy served for around a decade as the first French Minister to Korea, first from 1887-90 and then again from 1895-1906. He was the first foreigner to recognize the historical value of Jikji and introduce it to the world through the Exposition Universelle of 1900. At his suggestion, Emperor Gojong of the Joseon Dynasty participated in the Exposition to make Joseon's history and culture known to the world. Victor Collin de Plancy set up an exhibition hall with hanok to display and promote Korean traditional items.

At that time, one of the Korean books he displayed at the Korean Pavilion was Jikji, the oldest existing book printed by movable metal type. In addition, he accurately recorded the value of Jikji in 'Joseon Seoji', of which he published three volumes while working as a French diplomat in Joseon. His accumulated books became part of the core of the Korean collection of the French Bibliothèque Nationale, and his accumulated artworks became part of the core of the Musée Guimet in Paris.

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