One of a set of bells (bo) with felines and dragons

Object Details

• Previous custodian or owner

  Dr. Otto C. Burchard (1892-1965)

  Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965)

  Mrs. Christian R. Holmes (1871-1941)

  Holmes Foundation

  Parke-Bernet Galleries

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)

• Provenance

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

  Yamanaka & Company, New York [2]

  From at least 1933 to 1941

  Mrs. Christian R. Holmes (1871-1941), New York and "The Chimneys," Sands Point, Port Washington, Long Island, purchased from Yamanaka & Company by at least 1933 [3]

  From 1941 to 1963

  Holmes Foundation, New York [4]

  1963

  Sale, New York, Parke-Bernet Galleries, Important Chinese Art: Early Dynastic Bronzes, Silver and Gold...Collected by the Late Bettie F. Holmes (Mrs. Christian R. Holmes), New York, Sold by Order of the Holmes Foundation, November 14-15, 1963, lot 255 (ill.): "Wrought Silver-Bronze Bell (Chung)."

  To 1987

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), New York

  From 1987

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler in 1987 [5]

  Notes:

  [1] According to Osvald Sirén, A History of Chinese Art (London: E. Benn Ltd., 1929), pl. 107 A. Sirén noted that at the time of publication the object had already left the Burchard collection.

  [2] According to Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, sale cat., Important Chinese Art: Early Dynastic Bronzes, Silver and Gold...Collected by the Late Bettie F. Holmes (Mrs. Christian R. Holmes), New York, Sold by Order of the Holmes Foundation (New York, November 14-15, 1963), lot 255 (ill.).

  [3] Umehara Sueji, Shina-kodo Seikwa (Selected Relics of Ancient Chinese Bronzes from Collections in Europe and America): Part I Bronze Vases vol. 3 (Osaka: Yamanaka & Co., 1933), pl. 201.

  Mrs. Holmes lent the bell to International Exhibition of Chinese Art at Royal Academy of Fine Arts in London in 1935-36, see Catalogue of the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, exh. cat. (London: Royal Academy of Arts, November 1935-March 7, 1936), cat. 139 (ill.) and subsequently to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, see Chinese Bronzes of the Shang (1766-1122 B. C.) through the T’ang Dynasty (A.D. 618-906) (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, October 19-November 27, 1938), cat. 174 (ill.).

  In the 1963 Parke-Bernet auction catalogue cited in note 2, the object is listed as purchased by Mrs. Holmes from Yamanaka & Company.

  [4] Mrs. Holmes had established the Holmes Foundation to continue her charity work after her death.

  [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.

• Origin

  Houma foundry, Shanxi province, China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

• Type

  Musical Instrument

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 0s

• Name

  Holmes, Christian R., Sackler, Arthur M., Parke-Bernet Galleries, Burchard, Otto C., Holmes Foundation, Yamanaka and Co.

• Place

  Shanxi province, Houma foundry, China

• Topic

  Cats, Art, Animals, Eastern Zhou dynasty (770 - 221 BCE), Chinese Art, Spring and Autumn period (770 - 476 BCE), Dragon

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Musical instruments