Lidded ritual wine container (hu) with masks and dragons

Object Details

• Description

  Grey-green patina. Decoration cast in five registers and on cover.

• Label

  Between 1600 and 1300 B.C., pottery and bronze production continued their active dialogue, exchanging shapes, decorations, and production techniques. Although the shouldered gray earthenware container (lei) is a potter's shape, its dramatic interlocked T design occurs more often on bronzes. The contrast produced by the stamped textured background and the bold, smooth bands of interlocked T's, parallels the effect of the large, masklike motifs against the carefully executed spiral ground. At the same time, serrated vertical ridges commonly used on gray pottery were copied on bronzes.

• Provenance

  To 1947

  Likely Luwu Antiques Company, Shanghai, China to August 1947 [1]

  1947 to 1948

  C. T. Loo & Company, New York, NY likely by transfer from Luwu Antiques Company, Shanghai [2]

  1948 to 1949

  C. T. Loo, INC., New York by transfer from C. T. Loo & Company, NY [3]

  From 1949

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from C. T. Loo, INC. in May 1949 [4]

  Notes:

  [1] Luwu was an export business that supplied C. T. Loo & Company, New York and Paris with Chinese. Loo formed this company in 1926. The name, Luwu combines the names of C. T. Loo and Wu Qi Zhou, Luwu’s primary associates. The business aquired objects from across China, but everything passed through Shanghai before being sent to France. Zhou and Laio would send all acquisitions to Shanghai, where Wu packaged and shipped them to France. See C. T. Loo & Company stock card, no. CHL 7/942, copy in object file. The stock card reports that the object was imported from China August of 1947.

  [2] See stock card referenced in note 1.

  [3] C. T. Loo formed C. T. Loo, INC in 1948, when he lost access to trade in mainland China. See invoice from C. T. Loo, INC to Freer Gallery of Art, May 10, 1949, copy in object file.

  [4] See invoice referenced in note 3.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Clay and Metal: Ancient Chinese Ceramics and Metal (February 25, 1997 to August 9, 2011)

  Ancient Chinese Bronzes (May 9, 1993 to February 10, 1997)

  Chinese Art (February 18, 1983 to April 1, 1987)

  Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)

  Chinese Bronze, Jade, Marble (March 1, 1957 to January 1, 1963)

  Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 14 and 15 (February 25, 1956 to March 1, 1957)

  Untitled Exhibition, Ancient Chinese Jade and Bronze (August 26, 1955 to October 25, 1955)

  Untitled Exhibition, Ancient Chinese Art, 1955 (October 24, 1955 to February 25, 1956)

  Untitled Exhibition, Ancient Chinese Art, 1945 (January 9, 1945 to August 20, 1955)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Lu Wu Antiques Co. 盧吳古玩公司 (1911-ca. 1949)

  C.T. Loo & Company (1914-1948)

  C.T. Loo, INC. (ca. 1948-no later than July 1953)

• Origin

  Anyang, Henan province, China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 1000s

• Name

  Lu Wu Antiques Co., C.T. Loo, INC., C.T. Loo & Company

• Place

  China, Henan province, Anyang

• Topic

  Bronze, Wine and wine making, Art, Sculpture, Chinese Art, Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1300 - 1050 BCE), Masks, Dragon, Metal-work

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)