A seated bronze figure of a Hindu Mahayogi Shiva, Nepal, 20th Century.

From the Collection of the Krook Family

Sten Krook (1920-2009) and his mother Xenia Krook (1892-1988) shared a common interest in travelling and collecting Asian bronze figures. They conducted several journeys together to China, India, Nepal, Hong Kong and Thailand, during 1930-80's. The collection is an interesting mixture of religious figures from 15th to 20th centuries, from China, Tibet, Nepal, India and Japan.

Sten Krook’s passion for collecting art and antiques, and especially Asian bronzes and deities started at an early age when he travelled with his mother Xenia Krook. They both shared the interest of exploring foreign countries and collecting Asian works of Art. During the period 1930-1980 they made several journeys to China, India, Nepal, Hong Kong and Thailand. But they also frequented actions in Stockholm and Europe. Xenia Krook, was born in Denmark in 1892 in a family who had a great interest in archelogy, something you can find influenced them both. Quality and visual effect was important in their academic collection. They had a broad collection ranging from medieval sculptures up until late 19th Century from countries such as China, Tibet, Nepal, India and Japan. Many of them were sold at auction in Stockholm in 2014.

Shiva, literally means “The Supreme One”, the lord of the inner self, who embodies the three aspects of divinity, as creator, preserver, and destroyer. The oldest deity who has been worshiped since prehistoric time. He is venerated as the Lord of Yoga, and the patron God of renunciate and ascetic. Which evolved into a pan-Hindu tradition practiced widely across all of India, Sri Lanka and Nepal.