Garment hook with dragons

Object Details

• Provenance

  Mrs. Christian R. Holmes (1871-1941), New York and "The Chimneys," Sands Point, Port Washington, Long Island. [1]

  From at least 1943 to 1948

  Tonying and Company, New York from at least 1943. [2]

  From 1948

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Tonying & Company, New York on December 8, 1948. [3]

  Notes:

  [1] According to an undated and unattributed note in the object file.

  [2] The object was brought to the Freer Gallery for examination by C. F. Yau in 1943, see A. G. Wenley’s letter to C. F .Yau, Tonying & Company, dated December 6, 1948, in object file.

  [3] See Tonying & Company’s invoice, dated December 8, 1948, in which the object figures under no. B. 60: “Gilt Bronze Buckle, with silver inlay dragon and other designs / Han,” copy in object file. See also “List of Objects Contemplated for Purchase by the Freer Gallery of Art,” approved by C. G. Abbot, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, on February 4, 1944, copy in object file.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Previous custodian or owner

  Mrs. Christian R. Holmes (1871-1941)

  Tonying and Company 通運公司 (established 1902)

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Jewelry and Ornament

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 0s

• Name

  Holmes, Christian R., Tonying and Company

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Bronze, Art, Inlay (process), Sculpture, Eastern Zhou dynasty (770 - 221 BCE), Chinese Art, Warring States period (475 - 221 BCE), Dragon, Metal-work

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Ornaments, Jewelry