H x W x D (overall): 46 x 32.1 x 31.8 cm (18 1/8 x 12 5/8 x 12 1/2 in)
Type:
Vessel
Origin:
China
Date:
5th century BCE
Period:
Eastern Zhou dynasty
Provenance:
From at least 1940 to 1948
C. T. Loo & Company, New York, NY [1]
1948 to 1953
C. T. Loo, INC., New York, NY by transfer from C. T. Loo & Company, NY [2]
1953 to 1961
C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York, NY by transfer from C. T. Loo, INC, NY [3]
1961 to 1964
Frank Caro Chinese Art, New York, NY from C. T. Loo Chinese Art, NY, mode of acquisition unknown [4]
From 1964 to 1987
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, New York, NY purchased from Frank Caro, Chinese Art, New York, NY on 26 August 1964 [5]
From 1987
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, D.C., gift of Arthur M. Sackler [6]
Notes:
[1] Published in C. T. Loo & Co., Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Ritual Bronzes, The Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan) 18 October to 10 November 1940, cat. 44 (illustrated)
[2] In 1948, when C. T. Loo & Company lost direct access to trade in China, C. T. Loo formed the company C. T. Loo, INC. In 1950, C. T. Loo announced his retirement. Loo appointed his daughter, Janie Emanuel Loo as the head of the Paris branch of C. T. Loo & Company (C. T. Loo & Cie) and his associate, Frank Caro, as the head of the New York Branch, which operated as C. T. Loo Chinese Art.
C. T. Loo, INC. was dissolved by the summer of 1953.
[3] See note 2. On September 1, 1952, C. T. Loo’s associate, Frank Caro (1904-1980) took over daily operations of the New York business. C. T. Loo, INC. was dissolved by the summer of 1953 and Caro operated as C. T. Loo Chinese Art. Loo continued to play a large role in the business, as he and Caro struck a deal in which profits made on Loo’s stock would be evenly divided and Loo would maintain the lease and rental payments on the company’s gallery space. When Caro assumed leadership, he re-inventoried the gallery stock, assigning new numbers, many of which began with “E.” This object was part of that inventory process; E 5002.
[4] In 1961, Loo and Caro’s agreement ended. C. T. Loo & Cie., Paris, France took control of C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York stock, which C. T. Loo added to the inventory before his death in 1957.See invoice from Frank Caro, Chinese Art to Dr. Arthur M. Sackler and dated “Auust 26, 1964,” E-5002: “Tall bronze HU. Ht: 18 ins. (two large ring handles) four small rings at neck.” Copy located in accession file.
[5] See note 4.
[6] Pursuant to the agreement between Dr. Arthur M. Sackler and the Smithsonian Institution, dated July 28, 1982, legal title of the donated objects was transferred to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery on September 11, 1987.
Collection:
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Exhibition History:
Chinese Bronzes from the Sackler Collection (November 19 to December 30, 1989)
In Praise of Ancestors: Ritual Objects from China (September 28, 1987 to January 1, 1989)
Exhibition of Chinese Arts, Special Sale (November 1, 1941 to April 30, 1942)
An Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Ritual Bronzes (October 18 to November 10, 1940)
