Captain Baron Haro van Hemert tot Dingshof (1879-1972), who on retirement rose to the rank of Major General, was in the Dutch Marine Corps stationed in Beijing from 1913 to 1923. He was Commander of the Netherlands Legation Guards Detachment, responsible for the security not only of the Dutch, but also of the German and Austro-Hungarian legations and enclaves. Captain Baron van Hemert had a great love of art and as can be seen from surviving pictures taken in his Beijing home he had a particular admiration for Chinese porcelain. The most impressive piece of his collection was the extraordinary blue and white Yuan dynasty jar depicting ‘Gui Guzi’ sold in Christie’s London, 12 July 2005, for £15.6 million, setting a record for the most expensive Asian work at auction at the time.