H x W x D: 3.5 × 3.6 × 0.3 cm (1 3/8 × 1 7/16 × 1/8 in)
Type:
Jewelry and Ornament
Origin:
Anyang, probably Henan province, China
Date:
ca. 1250-1050 BCE
Period:
Late Shang dynasty, Anyang period
Provenance:
Mrs. Christian R. Holmes (1871-1941), New York and "The Chimneys," Sands Point, Port Washington, Long Island [1]
From 1941 to 1963
Holmes Foundation, New York [2]
1963
Sale, New York, Parke-Bernet Galleries, Important Chinese Art: Early Dynastic Bronzes, Silver and Gold...Collected by the Late Mrs. Christian R. Holmes, New York, Sold by the Order of the Holmes Foundation, November 14-15, 1963, lot 200/4: “Four Jade Ornaments: Type of the preceding [lot], two in the form of waterfowl; a deer and a white jade owl-like bird”
From 1963 to 1987
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), New York, purchased through Frank Caro from Parke-Bernet Galleries Sale on November 15, 1963 [3]
From 1987
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler on September 11, 1987 [4]
Notes:
[1] See Parke-Bernet Galleries, Important Chinese Art: Early Dynastic Bronzes, Silver and Gold...Collected by the Late Bettie F. Holmes (Mrs. Christian R. Holmes), New York, Sold by the Order of the Holmes Foundation, November 14-15, 1963, lot 200/4. The lot has been identified as S1987.704 based on information provided by Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, October 2009.
[2] Mrs. Holmes had established the Holmes Foundation to continue her charity work after her death.
[3] See Frank Caro’s invoice issued to Arthur M. Sackler on November 22, 1963, copy provided by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, October 2009, in object file.
[4] 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:
Anyang: China's Ancient City of Kings (February 25, 2023 to April 28, 2024)
In Praise of Ancestors: Ritual Objects from China (September 28, 1987 to January 1, 1989)
