Ritual wine container (hu) with dragon interlace

Object Details

• Provenance

  From at least 1953 to 1957

  F. Low-Beer & Co. New York, N.Y., Rome, Italy, and Lac Champex (Valais), Switzerland, from at least October 1953 [1]

  From 1957

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976) on July 18, 1957 [2]

  Notes:

  [1] Fritz Low-Beer offered to bring the bronze to the Freer Gallery for acquisition consideration in his correspondence with Archibald G. Wenley, Director, Freer Gallery of Art, see F. Low-Beer to A. G. Wenley, October 22, 1953, copy in object file.

  In the same letter, Low-Beer remarked that the object “must have been excavated quite some time ago.” Low-Beer’s various addresses in U.S., Italy and Switzerland appear on official documentation of the object.

  [2] See Fritz Low-Beer’s invoice, dated July 18, 1957, where the object is listed as “Bronze vessel, type hu, Chinese, 5th century B.C.”, copy in object file.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Art and Industry: China’s Houma Foundry (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

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

  Chinese Metalwork (May 9, 1993 to March 21, 1997)

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

  Chinese Art (March 15, 1982 to June 15, 1982)

  Chinese Art of the Warring States Period: Change and Community, 480-222 B.C. (September 30, 1982 to February 17, 1983)

  Chinese Art (March 9, 1981 to March 12, 1982)

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

  Special Exhibition—Chinese Bronzes (November 1, 1961 to March 23, 1962)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976)

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Vessel

• On View

  Freer Gallery 18: Art and Industry: China's Ancient Houma Foundry

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 0s

• Name

  Low-Beer, Fritz

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Art, Eastern Zhou dynasty (770 - 221 BCE), Chinese Art

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)

• On View

  Yes