Ritual wine container (you) with masks (taotie), dragons, birds, and owls

Object Details

• Inscriptions

  Inscribed in the foot, Ce Gao 冊吿 (“Officer of Records and Reporting”)

• Provenance

  Otto Burchard, (1892-1965), Berlin [1]

  To 1967

  Miriam Caroline Alexandrine de Rothschild (1884–1965), Berlin, Germany & Paris, France [2]

  1967

  Sale, London, Sotheby & Company, “Important Archaic Chinese Bronzes, Works of Art, and Fine Oriental Ceramics, including the Property of R. E. Luff, Esq., the property of Mrs. Elsa Brown, the Property of H. W. W. Hoskyns, Esq. JP, and the Property of the Late Madame Alexandrine de Rothschild (sold by order of the Executors),” May 16, 1967, lot 14, no. 30, “An important Archaic Bronze Ritual Wine Vessel and Cover (Yu)” [3]

  1967

  Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, England, purchased at auction, “Important Archaic Chinese Bronzes, Works of Art, and Fine Oriental Ceramics …” on May 16, 1967, lot 14, no. 30, “An important Archaic Bronze Ritual Wine Vessel and Cover (Yu)” [4]

  1967 to 1971

  Jen Chai Art Gallery, New York, NY purchased from Sydney L. Moss on June 9, 1967 [5]

  1971 to 1972

  J. T. Tai & Company, INC., New York, NY purchased from Jen Chai Art Gallery on June 30, 1972 [6]

  1972 to 1987

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, New York, NY purchased from J. T. Tai & Company around September 14, 1972 [7]

  From 1987

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler on September 11, 1987 [8]

  Notes:

  [1] See Chˊen Mengjia, A Corpus of Chinese Bronzes in American Collections, A 594, see object file, Collections Management Office. Ch’en Mengjia wrote this text during his lifetime (1911 – 1966), however, it was published in 1977, after he died. At the time Ch’en wrote the text, this object was in Burchard’s collection.

  [2] See auction catalogue: Sotheby & Company,“Important Archaic Chinese Bronzes, Works of Art, and Fine Oriental Ceramics, including the Property of R. E. Luff, Esq., the property of Mrs. Elsa Brown, the Property of H. W. W. Hoskyns, Esq. JP, and the Property of the Late Madame Alexandrine de Rothschild (sold by order of the Executors),” London, May 16, 1967, lot 14, no. 30: “An important Archaic Bronze Ritual Wine Vessel and Cover (Yu),” see object file.

  [3] See note 2.

  [4] Oriental Art, Vol. XIII, no. 4 (Winter 1967), p. 313, see object file, Collections Management Office. See also: See stock record from Jen Chai Art Gallery, INC, A 483: “Important Bronze Yu with handle,” see object file.

  [5] See Jen Chai Art Gallery stock record referenced in note 4. J. T. Tai (1911-1992) owned and operated both Jen Chai Art Gallery and J. T. Tai & Company.

  [6] See Jen Chai Art Gallery stock record referenced in note 4. It reports that J. T. Tai & Company, INC. purchased on June 9, 1967.

  [7] See Jen Chai Art Gallery stock record referenced in note 4. Stock record reports that the object was sent to Dr. Arthur M. Sackler’s Collection, Met Museum on 9/14/1972. See also inventory acknowledgement from Sackler Collection, Met Museum, 9/14/1972, accepting A 4883, copy in object file.

  [8] 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)

  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)

  Treasures from the Smithsonian Institution at the Royal Scottish Museum (August 11, 1984 to November 5, 1984)

  Art from Ritual: Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessels from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections (April 23 to September 6, 1983)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Dr. Otto C. Burchard (1892-1965)

  Miriam Caroline Alexandrine de Rothschild (1884-1965)

  Sydney L. Moss Ltd. (founded 1910)

  Jen Chai Art Gallery

  J. T. Tai & Co. (established in 1950)

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)

• Origin

  Anyang, probably Henan province, China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 1000s

• Name

  Sackler, Arthur M., Sydney L. Moss Ltd., Jen Chai Art Gallery, J. T. Tai & Co., Burchard, Otto C., Rothschild, Miriam Caroline Alexandrine

• Place

  China, Henan province, Anyang

• Topic

  Bronze, Wine and wine making, Art, Sculpture, Chinese Art, Shang dynasty (ca. 1600 - ca. 1050 BCE), Metal-work

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)