Swedish industrialist Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) is probably best known as a leading figure of the Swedish pulp and paper industry, as well as an accomplished tennis player who won a silver medal at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. But today we are going to tell you the less publicly-known side of his story – his story as a famed collector of Chinese antiquities. In fact, a selection of masterpieces formerly in his collection will be offered at Christie’s Asia Week in New York, offering us a better glimpse of Carl Kempe’s life as a Chinese art aficionado.
Dr. Johan Carl Kempe, usually known simply as Carl Kempe, was born in Stockholm in 1884 and after completing his schooling at Norra latinläroverket in Stockholm, he went on to study at Uppsala University from 1903-1905. In 1906, The young Carl joined the company Mo och Domsjö AB and took over the post of Managing Director from his father in 1917. He was known for bringing the company to the forefront of the modern pulp and paper manufacturing industry in Sweden.
Then how did he become a collector of Chinese art? It appears that Carl Kempe’s interest in Chinese art began in the 1920s. He belonged to a group of Chinese art connoisseurs who began collecting in about 1930; he was also a member of the Chinese Club in Stockholm (a local branch of the Oriental Ceramic Society in London). Following his initial interest in Chinese art in the 1920s, in 1935-6 Carl Kempe and his wife travelled to China, where, it has been reported, he purchased some 250 items of Chinese art.
Kempe had been attracted to Qing dynasty polychrome porcelains initially but he later developed a particular interest in Chinese white-glazed ceramics – especially those from the Tang-Song period. The other area in which he developed a great interest and a spectacular collection was Chinese gold and silver, which ranged from the Bronze Age Zhou dynasty to the Qing dynasty. His third area of specialized collecting was Chinese glass, although he also acquired fine examples of Chinese lacquer, enamels, bronzes and other items, as well as Roman glass.
As an enthusiastic collector, Kempe welcomed scholars and collectors from all over the world, to view and discuss his remarkable collection. He also loaned pieces from the collection to a number of international exhibitions as noted above, the famous 1935-36 International Exhibition of Chinese Art in London. After his death in 1967 the collection continued to be displayed at Ekolsund, and in the 1970s some 150 items of ceramics, gold and silver from the Kempe collection were sent on a touring exhibition in the United States.
In 1997 the Kempe collection of ceramics, gold and silver were transferred to the Museum of Art and Far Eastern Antiquities in Ulricehamn. Some ten years later the collection was sold at auction and part of them were auctioned at a sale entitled Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork: Early Gold and Silver, held by Sotheby’s London on 14 May 2008.
According to the auction house’s catalogue, the majority of the pieces offered at the sale was purchased by a princely collector. According to several news reports, the collector is believed to be the late Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed Al-Thani of Qatar (1966-2014), former minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage.
Once widely regarded as the world's richest and most powerful art collector, Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed Al-Thani of Qatar amassed a vast and diverse collection which ranged from antiquities and coins to travel books and vintage bicycles. In the 2008 sale, Sheikh Saud, with the paddle no. L090, was seen snatching up a majority of items from the Kempe collection that offered in the sale. Unfortunately, he suddenly passed away at age 48 on 9 November in 2014. The gold and silver masterpieces that he bought are now offered in Christie’s upcoming sale in New York on 12 September.
Let’s take a look at some highlights from the sale to see how these early Chinese gold and silver works of art captured the attention of both Carl Kempe and Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed Al-Thani of Qatar. Leading the sale is a large parcel-gilt silver bowl in the form of an open lotus blossom from Tang dynasty, estimated at US$2m-3m. This bowl was sold for £1.14m when it was presented in the 2008 sale in London.
The lotus design is likely a reference to Buddhism for in Buddhist art a fully blooming lotus flower emerging from murky water is a symbol of purity. The vessel was made from a heavy lump of silver, which was hammered into a rough bowl shape, and then further hammered over a matrix or mold, probably made of wood, to create the elegant lotus-petal form. The interior and petals were then chased with designs of birds and peonies, traditional emblems of wealth and good fortune.
A turquoise-inlaid gold openwork chape, Northwest China, 6th-5th century BC
Another noteworthy item is a turquoise-inlaid gold openwork chape, Northwest China, 6th-5th century BC, valued at US$300,000-500,000. This ancient chape from northwest China depicts 11 interlaced dragons framed by the heads of birds of prey. It would have been cast in a two-piece mold and then inlaid with turquoise. The value of the material and the exquisite design of this chape suggests that it would have been used for ceremonial purposes, and not taken into battle.
Featured lots
A Very Rare and Important Large Parcel-Gilt Silver Bowl. Tang Dynasty (Ad 618-907)
Lot no.: 551
Diameter: 24.5cm
Weight: 1,052g
Provenance:
- Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK117.
- Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 54.
Estimate: US$2,000,000 - 3,000,000
A Very Rare Gold 'Dragon'-Handled Cup. Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368)
Lot no.: 571
Diameter: 11.2 cm
Weight: 72.1g
Provenance:
- Madame L. Wannieck Collection, Paris, before 1937.
- Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK53A.
- Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 104.
Estimate: US$600,000 - 800,000
A Superb and Extremely Rare Turquoise-Inlaid Gold Openwork Chape.
Northwest China, Late 6th-early 5th Century BC
Lot no.: 511
Diameter: 11.2 cm
Weight: 72.1g
Provenance:
- Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK1.
- Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 19.
Estimate:US$300,000 - 500,000
A Fine and Very Rare Gold Dish. Song Dynasty (Ad 960-1279)
Lot no.: 570
Diameter: 13.5cm
Weight: 103g
Provenance:
- Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. 52.
- Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 106.
Estimate: US$300,000 - 500,000
A Rare and Finely Decorated Gold 'Peony' Dish. Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368)
Lot no.: 572
Diameter: 15.6 cm
Weight: 121.1g
Provenance:
- Madame L. Wannieck, Paris, before 1937.
- Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK53B.
- Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 102.
Estimate: US$200,000 - 300,000
A Rare Silver Spherical Censer. Tang Dynasty (Ad 618-907)
Lot no.: 552
Diameter: 5 cm
Weight: 46g
Provenance:
- Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK97.
- Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 56.
Estimate: US$100,000 - 150,000
A Rare Double Scabbard and Knives. Southern Song-yuan Dynasty, 10th-14th Century
Lot no.: 566
Diameter: 16.8 cm
Weight: 76g
Provenance:
- C. T. Loo & Co., New York, before 1941.
- Dr. Johan Carl Kempe (1884-1967) Collection, Sweden, before 1953, no. CK36.
- Sotheby's London, Masterpieces of Chinese Precious Metalwork. Early Gold and Silver, 14 May 2008, lot 78.
Estimate: US$80,000 - 120,000
Auction details
Auction house: Christie’s New York
Sale: Masterpieces of Early Chinese Gold and Silver
Sale date: 12 September 2019｜10am