Chinese porcelain blue and white baluster vase, Kangxi period, circa 1700. Photo Marchant

with single-ribbed neck and galleried rim, painted on the body with three qilins standing on rocks amongst billowing and crested waves and sea spray, with stylised flames being emitted from their mouths, the ribbed neck with bands of lappets, scrolls and ruyi-heads, all between crenulated bands above the foot and on the rim, the base glazed white. 17 ¼ inches, 43.8 cm high. Price on request

Provenance: From the collection of Karl Wilhelm Gerdhem (1868-1932).

Karl Wilhelm Gerdhem was a famous Swedish engineer and one of the pioneers of world-wide telephone network expansion and communication. His position from 1892 with a Swedish telephone company, S A T, merged with L. M. Ericsson in 1918, took him all over the world. In 1905, he was sent to Peking to negotiate a contract for the major city of Guangzhou (Canton). It was at this time that he acquired a collection of Chinese porcelain which he brought back to Sweden.

Given to a family member as a wedding present in 1957.