Gilt bronze inlaid with jade, turquoise, carnelian, and silver
Dimensions:
H x Diam: 2.8 x 9.5 cm (1 1/8 x 3 3/4 in)
Type:
Jewelry and Ornament
Origin:
China
Date:
ca. 2nd century BCE
Period:
Early Western Han dynasty
Provenance:
To 1948
Jun Tsei Tai (1911-1992), Shanghai, to February 1948 [1]
From 1948 to 1950
C. T. Loo & Company, New York, purchased from Jun Tsei Tai in February 1948 [2]
From 1950
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from C. T. Loo & Company on June 28, 1950 [3]
Notes:
[1] See C. T. Loo's stockcard no. 46032: "Bronze cover, gilded and inlaid with jade and semi precious stones, four mountain-like waves with animals, finely molded and covered with a heavy gild, in the center a flat round jade knob Late Chou," copy in object file. According to an annotation on the stockcard, Loo purchased the object from J. T. Tai in China.
Jun Tsei Tai (more commonly known in the West as J. T. Tai), known also as Dai Fubao in Shanghai, was a successful art dealer who was initially based in Shanghai China. Tai became one of C. T. Loo's most prolific suppliers in the 1940s. In 1949, however, J. T. Tai fled with his family to Hong Kong, when Communist leaders came into power. In 1950, he immigrated to New York City, where he established J. T. Tai & Company, a successful company that specialized in the sale of Chinese arts.
[2] See C. T. Loo's stockcard cited in note 1.
On June 9, 1950, the object was taken by Loo to the Freer Gallery for examination.
[3] See C. T. Loo's invoice, dated June 28, 1950, copy in object file.
Collection:
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History:
Chinese Metalwork (May 9, 1993 to March 21, 1997)
Chinese Art (February 18, 1983 to April 1, 1987)
Chinese Art (March 15, 1982 to June 15, 1982)
Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)
Chinese Bronze, Jade, Metalwork (March 1, 1957 to January 1, 1963)
Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 14 and 15 (February 25, 1956 to March 1, 1957)
Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Art, 1955 (August 26, 1955 to October 25, 1955)
Special Exhibition, Chinese Art (April 20, 1954 to November 16, 1954)
Untitled Exhibition, Ancient Chinese Art, 1946 (May 7, 1946 to February 25, 1956)
