A painted pottery bell and a green glazed spoon, Han dynasty (202 BC-220 AD).

From the Collection of Dr Emil Hultmark (1872-1943), Stockholm, thence by descent within the family until now.

Purchased from Bluett & Son, London, label no 133.

Dr Emil Hultmark was an art historian, collector, donor and patron of the arts. He combined important work as an art historian not only with the creation of one of the largest and most remarkable private art collections in Sweden, but also with the construction of an archive of Swedish artists and art craftsmen unparalleled in its extent, together with a library containing almost all that has been written about Swedish art.

Emil Hultmark was one of the co-founders of the ‘Kinaklubben’ (China Club) in Stockholm in the 1920's with Carl Kempe (1884-1967) and the Crown Prince Gustav Adolf. He is a well known collector and his beautiful home and summer house is well documented in the magazine 'Svenska Hem i ord och bild' in the 1930's, which provide us with a fascinating window into this golden age of European collecting.

The bell with label B 335. E. H.
The other side marked No 1634. Leu pas.

The bell with label B 335. E. H.
The other side marked No 1634. Leu pas.

The bell exhibited at Svenska Allmänna konstföreningen, Emil Hultmarks Samling, Stockholm 1942. Lot no 320.