After graduating from art school (Amsterdam 1952), Ferdinand M. Bertholet traveled extensively in Asia. During one of his journeys he came across an album of Chinese erotic pictures at a Hong Kong antique dealer's. He was struck by the subtly romantic expression and the harmonious compositions and color schemes, and began to actively collect high-quality erotic art and porcelains. Despite the strict censorship exercised by the Chinese regime, he managed to amass a large number of pieces. The result is the biggest collection of Chinese erotica in the western world, comprising works dating from the Ming period to the Fourth of May Movement of 1919.