H x W x D (overall): 19 x 14.5 x 1.8 cm (7 1/2 x 5 11/16 x 11/16 in)
Type:
Jewelry and Ornament
Origin:
China
Date:
Late 19th - early 20th century
Period:
Qing dynasty, Possibly Tongzhi reign
Description:
Single-prong kingfisher-feather hairpin (zan 簪) in the shape of a caterpillar morphing into a butterfly.
Provenance:
To 1997
Paul Singer (1904-1997), Summit, New Jersey [1]
From 1997
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, bequeathed by Paul Singer [2]
Notes:
[1] The collection of Chinese art and antiquities assembled by Paul Singer over time was purchased by him on behalf of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences and Humanities, and later transferred to the children of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler.
[2] Upon Paul Singer’s death in January 1997, his collection was transferred to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery by order of the Executors of the Estate under a loan agreement signed on February 1997. Shortly thereafter, the Sackler Gallery was vested with full ownership and title to the collection in full agreement by the Sackler Foundations and Sackler family members. In 2011 the object was accessioned to the Sackler Gallery collection.
Collection:
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Exhibition History:
Family Matters: Portraits from the Qing Court (June 11, 2011 to January 16, 2012)
Previous custodian or owner:
Dr. Paul Singer (1904-1997)
Arthur M. Sackler Foundation (founded 1965)
AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities (founded 1981)
The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; a joint gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Paul Singer, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, and the Children of Arthur M. Sackler
