Ritual wine cup (gu) with masks (taotie)

Object Details

• Inscriptions

  Inscribed in the foot, Fu 婦 (“Lady”)

• Provenance

  By 1950-1953

  C. T. Loo, INC., method of acquisition unknown [1]

  1953-1961 

  C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York, by transfer from C. T. Loo, INC. around 1953 [2] 

  1961-1964 

  Frank Caro Chinese Art, New York, by transfer from C. T. Loo Chinese Art around 1961 [3]

  1964-1987

  Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), purchased from Frank Caro Chinese Art [4]

  From 1987

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Arthur M. Sackler [5]

  Notes:

  [1] See Bernhard Karlgren “Marginalia on Some Bronze Albums. II,” “Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities (Östasiatiska Museet)” no. 32 (1960): p. 18, pl. 51a. C. T. Loo (1880-1957) formed C. T. Loo, INC. in 1948, when he lost access to trade in mainland China. C. T. Loo was one of the most prominent and well-known figures in the world of Chinese art in the first half of the twentieth century. Loo owned and operated eponymous galleries in New York and Paris, where he offered Chinese, Indian, and South Asian antiquities for study and sale.

  See also note 2.

  [2] See object file for copy of Frank Caro Chinese Art invoice to Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, dated August 27, 1964. On September 1, 1952, C. T. Loo’s associate, Frank Caro (1904-1980) took over daily operations of the New York business. C. T. Loo, INC. was dissolved by the summer of 1953 and Caro operated as C. T. Loo Chinese Art. Loo continued to play a large role in the business, as he and Caro struck a deal in which profits made on Loo’s stock would be evenly divided and Loo would maintain the lease and rental payments on the company’s gallery space. About 1950, Caro assigned new inventory numbers to C. T. Loo & Company’s stock, assigning numbers with an “E” prefix. This object was included in that inventory process, receiving the new number “E-5103”. See also note 1.

  [3] See note 1 and 2.

  [4] See notes 1 and 2.

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler was a physician, medical publisher, pharmaceutical marketer, and collector of Asian art.

  [5] Pursuant to the agreement between 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.

  Research updated May 18, 2023

• 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)

• Previous custodian or owner

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

  C.T. Loo Chinese Art (1953-1961)

  Frank Caro Chinese Art (1962-1980)

  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

  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 1000s

• Name

  Frank Caro Chinese Art, Sackler, Arthur M., C.T. Loo Chinese Art, C.T. Loo, INC.

• Place

  China, Henan province, Anyang

• Topic

  Bronze, Wine and wine making, Art, Sculpture, Chinese Art, Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1300 - 1050 BCE), Shang dynasty (ca. 1600 - ca. 1050 BCE), Metal-work

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)