An underglaze blue and enamelled vase, Qing dynasty, 19th century.

From the collection of Karl Wilhelm Gerdhem (1868-1932), Sweden. Thence by decent within the family.

Karl Wilhelm Gerdhem was a notable Swedish technologist and engineer, as well as a collector of Chinese porcelain. One of his most recognizable achievements would be his work with SAT and the other leading telephone company, Ericsson, making him one of the premier figures behind early 20th century telecommunications networking. He acquired much of his collection in the early 1900s in Beijing, during his negotiation with network construction in Guangzhou (1914-1915), before returning to Sweden at the outbreak of the WWI. When he returned to Sweden, he brought with him a rather extensive collection of Chinese Works of Art.