H x W x D: 28.7 x 13 x 10.3 cm (11 5/16 x 5 1/8 x 4 1/16 in)
Type:
Musical Instrument
Origin:
China
Date:
ca. 525-475 BCE
Period:
Eastern Zhou dynasty, late Spring and Autumn period
Provenance:
1917 to 1941
Emmanuel Gran (1894-1969) Shanghai, China; Los Angeles, CA; then New York, NY., purchased while living in China [1]
1940s to 1954
Emmanuel Gran and Delight (Philips) Gran (1912-1974), Los Angeles, CA; then New York, NY, jointly owned through marriage [2]
1954 to 1959
J. T. Tai & Company, New York, NY purchased from Delight Gran on June 27, 1954 in New York, NY [3]
1959 to 1987
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, New York, NY purchased from J. T. Tai & Company on January 15, 1959 in New York, NY [4]
From 1987
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler on September 11, 1987 [5]
Notes:
[1] See J. T. Tai & Company Stock Record, YT 872, copy in object file. Purchase from "Mrs. D. Gran" and sale to Sackler recorded. Noted that this object was purchased and sold as part of a set of six.
Emmanuel Gran was a Russian architect who lived in China, near Shanghai, from 1917 to 1941, where he built several large buildings, including the Cathy Hotel in Shanghai. Whilst living in China he amassed a large collection of Chinese antiquities. After the Japanese invasion of Shanghai, Gran and his collection relocated to Los Angeles, CA, arriving finally in 1941. In California, he designed ships for the American War Department and met and married Delight Philips. After the war, Gran began to design movie sets, however, he soon went to work for Hilton Hotels as the in-house architect and relocated to New York City.
[2] See note 1. Emmanuel Gran married Delight Philips sometime in the 1940s. We can assume they jointly owned the bell, as Delight Gran was responsible for its sale to J. T. Tai & Company, NY.
[3] See note 1.
[4] See note 1. The stock record indicates that all six bells were sold to Arthur M. Sackler on January 15, 1959.
[5] 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:
Resound: Ancient Bells of China (October 14, 2017 - July 5, 2021)
The Arts of China (November 18, 1990 to September 7, 2014)
Ancient Chinese Bronzes and Jades (October 1, 1989 - September 10, 1990)
In Praise of Ancestors: Ritual Objects from China (September 28, 1987 to January 1, 1989)
Art from Ritual: Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessels from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections (April 23 to September 6, 1983)
Unearthing China's Past (November 15, 1973 to February 15, 1974)
