In Memoriam

The Gotheborg web page went online first time in 26th of November 1996 to focus mostly on the Swedish East India Trade to China during the 18th century. In 1996 it changed name and focus towards a Chinese and Japanese Porcelain Collectors Help and Information page.

Over the years many people have joined this collectors community, made friends, had fun and contributed to make the world a little better place. Over the years also, some of our friends have passed away. They contributed friendship, time, effort and knowledge as a labor of love. Their work was important in helping to document in writing endless amounts of hard to get insight in the understanding and appreciation of antique Asian ceramic Art, and to help preserving and passing this on to new generations of collectors. More important, their participation also helped making our Discussion Board a pleasant and valuable place to be. As a sign of gratitude I have taken the liberty to list some of their names here.

Jan-Erik Nilsson
Gotheborg.com

Roxanna M. Brown (1946-2008) - Honorary dragon

Adjunct Curator of S.E. Asia Ceramics, Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena. Director of the Bangkok University's Southeast Asian Ceramics Museum.
In 1973 she earned a master's degree from the National University of Singapore (NUS). In 2004 she received a Ph.D. from UCLA, working on the so-called Ming Gap, a 300-year interval when China blocked exports of ceramics. Her work with Sten Sjostrand on maritime archaeology and shipwreck ceramics have greatly improved our understanding of South East Asian ceramics. Her research in this area is unparalleled and is presented in several publications.

Bo Gyllensvärd (1916-2004) - Teacher, friend, mentor and an inspiration

Professor em., Stockholm, Sweden. Bo was a Swedish art historian and museum director. His first paper at the Stockholm University was a dissertation about chinoiserie in Sweden. He became a PhD and associate professor in 1958 on the thesis Tang Gold and Silver based on the study of pieces in the Carl Kempe Collection. His first position was at the National Museum in 1945, initially as an assistant, in 1949 he became curator and in 1959, senior curator. On his suggestion to Gustaf VI Adolf the Far Eastern Collections were combined with the National Museum's collection of East Asian and South Asian arts and handicrafts in 1959, to form the new Museum of Far Easter Antiquities that opened in 1963 at the former premises of the Royal Armory on Skeppsholmen, of which he became the director. In this position he managed to secure a number of large donations of objects from many of the foremost collections in Sweden of which one was the Gustaf VI Adolf's Chinese private collection. Bo continued in this position until his retirement in 1981. He was curator of the Carl Kempe collection at Ekolsund and of the Gustaf VI Adolf's Chinese collections from 1955 to 1973 which collection after the Kings death was donated to the MFEA.

Michael Lawrence Vermeer (1947-2015) - Moderator

Powder Springs, Atlanta, Georgia. In 1976, Michael Vermeer and Alan Griggs joined in a partnership creating Vermeer & Griggs in Los Angeles. Alan who was already well known in the antique trade for his knowledge of Oriental carpets, Chinese porcelain, Asian art, and Continental antique art that included paintings, furniture, bronzes and object 'd art became his teacher, partner and business associate. The 1st September 2000 Mike Vermeer joined our group of friends and collectors. He was among the first to join our original discussion list and one of the first to become a moderator at our Discussion Board where he for more than a decade lectured on Imperial porcelain and Chinese taste, monochromes - of which teadust was his absolute favourite - and the understanding of quality as such. Mike continued to refer to his partner, and other mentors like Clarence Shangraw, and the dear grand old lady of Chinese porcelain Margaret Medley, with great fondness and admiration throughout his life.