A red lacquered stool, late Qing dynasty.

From the Collection of a Swedish businessman and entrepreneur with early links to Russia and Japan. He lived 1911-1917 in St Petersburg where he owned a company selling high-quality Swedish stainless steel. He learned the Russian language and built up quite a collection of Russian works of art. He travelled to Asia early, first time in 1907, in 1920 he set up a similary operation to that in St Petersburg in Japan. He spent several years in Osaka and Kobe, this is when he extended his collection to Fine Japanese Art as well as Chinese Art, porcelain, lacquer, silver and bronzes. In Kyoto he befriended one of the leading art dealers Kusaka Shogodo, whom he purchased numerous items from.