Food vessel (li ding)

Object Details

• Provenance

  By 1940 to 1948

  C. T. Loo & Company, New York, NY [1]

  1948 to 1953

  C. T. Loo, INC., New York, NY by transfer from C. T. Loo & Company, NY [2]

  1953 to 1961

  C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York, NY by transfer from C. T. Loo, INC., NY [3]

  1961 to 1964

  Frank Caro Chinese Art, New York, NY from C. T. Loo Chinese Art, NY mode of acquisition unknown [4]

  1964 to 1987

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, New York, NY purchased from Frank Caro Chinese Art, New York, NY on August 26, 1964 [2]

  From 1987

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift from Arthur M. Sackler on September 11, 1987 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] See An Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Ritual Bronzes, Loaned by C. T. Loo & Co. The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI (October 18 to November 10, 1940), no. 15.

  [2] In 1948, when C. T. Loo & Company lost direct access to trade in China, C. T. Loo formed the company C. T. Loo, INC. In 1950, C. T. Loo announced his retirement. Loo appointed his daughter, Janie Emanuel Loo as the head of the Paris branch of C. T. Loo & Company (C. T. Loo & Cie) and his associate, Frank Caro, as the head of the New York Branch, which operated as C. T. Loo Chinese Art.

  C. T. Loo, INC. was dissolved by the summer of 1953. When Caro assumed leadership, he re-inventoried stock and assigned new numbers, many of which began with an “E.” This object, “E-5077” was part of that inventory process.

  [3] See note 2.

  [4] In 1961, Loo and Caro’s agreement ended. C. T. Loo & Cie., Paris, France took control of C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York stock, which C. T. Loo added to the inventory before his death in 1957. Frank Caro then operated as Frank Caro Chinese Art.

  [5] See invoice from Frank Caro Chinese Art to Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, August 26, 1964, copy in the object file. Frank Caro Chinese Art inventoried this object as E-5077 and described it as a “Bronze ritual vessel TING with large t’ao t’ieh masks on meander ground. Shang. (Detroit Cat. #15).”

  [6] 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

  The Arts of China (November 18, 1990 to September 7, 2014)

  In Praise of Ancestors: Ritual Objects from China (September 28, 1987 to January 1, 1989)

  An Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Ritual Bronzes (October 18 to November 10, 1940)

• Previous custodian or owner

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

  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

  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

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

• Place

  China

• Topic

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

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)