Page 20 - 2019 September 12th Christie's New York Chiense Art Masterpieces of Chinese Gold and Silver

Chinese Art (nos. 77, 931, 976, 982, 1147, 1478, 1483, 1648, 1946, 2580, 2581, and 2605). These were
primarily white-glazed ceramics, but included one Song dynasty silver gilt bowl and cover.
Another of the Swedish collectors who joined the 1930-31 Karlbeck syndicate with Kempe was
Johannes Hellner (1866-1947) – an important Swedish lawyer, civil servant and politician, who was
Swedish Foreign Minister from 1917 to 1920. Later, among his many other positions, Hellner headed
the Timber Export Association, where he became friends with Carl Kempe’s father, Frans Kempe.
Like Carl Kempe, Hellner began collecting Chinese ceramics in the 1920s. He quite rapidly built up
a substantial collection, and gave a lecture on Song ceramics to the Kinaklubben in 1933. Indeed,
Hellner was the frst chairman of the Kinaklubben (China Club), which was formed in Stockholm
in 1929 by a group of collectors and scholars, inspired by the Crown Prince. The early members
included Emil and Richard Huitmark, Holger Lauritzén, Gustaf Lindberg, Axel Lagrelius, Nils
Palmgren, Sigurd Versteegh, Orvar Karlbeck, and Hans Öström, as well as Carl Kempe himself. The
club was the equivalent of a Swedish branch of the Oriental Ceramic Society in London, of which
Carl Kempe was also a member.
Also part of the 1930-31 Karlbeck syndicate was Holger Lauritzén (1876-1951) who was a keen
collector of Chinese art in the 1920s and 1930s, amassing what Jan Wirgin described as: ‘... one of the
best known of the private collections of Chinese ceramics in Sweden’ (see Jan Wirgin, Ming Wares
in the Lauritzen Collection, Stockholm, 1965). At his father’s request, this collection was donated
to the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm by Holger Lauritzén’s son, Einar Lauritzén, in
1964. The collection of another of the 1930-31 Karbeck syndicate members, that of the banker Axel
Lundgren (d. 1939) and his wife Nora was also donated to the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in

《Chinese Ceramics from the Axel and Nora 術，其後更成為了歐洲研究中國藝術的先驅之一。
Lundgren Bequest》(斯德哥爾摩：1978)。倫氏 他曾就許多課題發表研究成果，中國繪畫、雕塑、
的珍藏涵蓋中國繪畫、青銅器與陶瓷，其中有44件 建築與園林等皆有涉及。1958年，他推出合共七
作品曾於1928年在國家博物館展出。此外，倫氏亦 卷的《Chinese Painting: Leading Masters and
是中國會的早期成員之一。 Principles》，迄今仍被視為經典之作。
值此期間，瑞典的中國藝術收藏家菁英雲集， 瑞典學者在考古領域的表現同樣突出。考古學家、
而研究中國藝術的名宿鴻儒亦大不乏人。生於 古生物學家和地質學家安特生 (Johan Gunnar
芬蘭的瑞典藝術史學家喜龍仁教授 (Osvald Andersson，1874-1960年) 便是其中的佼佼
Sirén，1879-1966年) 便是一例，他於1908至 者，1914年，他應北洋政府的邀請，赴華出任礦政
1923年期間在斯德哥爾摩大學任教藝術史及藝術 顧問。1921年華北新石器時代仰韶文化的發現，安
理論，1928至1945年獲任命為斯德哥爾摩國家博 氏的參與功不可沒。1923-24年，他以中央地質
物館的繪畫與雕塑館長，詳見Minna Törma著作 調查所成員的身份，在甘肅和青海展開考古發掘。
《Enchanted by Lohans - Osvald Sirén’s 他在1916、1921和1923年三度親赴周口店，並於
Journey into Chinese Art》(香港：2013)。雖然 1926年瑞典王儲訪華期間，展示他發現的兩枚人
他早期研究的是歐洲藝術 (以意大利文藝復興藝術為 類牙齒，兩者均被鑑定為有關北京猿人的首批化
主)，但年近四十之際，讓他念茲在茲的卻是中國藝 石。1926年，安氏在斯德哥爾摩創辦遠東古物博物
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