Food vessel (yu)

Object Details

• Provenance

  Joseph Homberg, Paris [1]

  1949

  Sale, London, Sotheby and Co., Fine early Chinese ceramics, important bronzes and silverwork, European Mediæval ivories and enamels, July 19, 1949, lot 89 [2]

  ?-To 1970

  Dennis M. Cohen (1891-1970) [3]

  1970

  Mrs. Mary Cohen, ownership transferred to Mrs. Cohen after the death of her husband, Dennis M. Cohen in 1970. [4]

  1970

  Sale, London, Sotheby and Co., Important Archaic Chinese Bronzes, Sculpture and Ceramics: The Property of Mrs. Mary Cohen, July 14, 1970, lot 56 [5]

  To 1975

  J.T. Tai & Co., Inc., New York, NY [6]

  1975-1987

  The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, purchased from J.T. Tai & Co., Inc., New York, NY [7]

  From 1987

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation

  Notes:

  [1] The 1949 Sotheby auction in London was for the property of Joseph Homberg. An online search was inconclusive. The closest possible match is Octave Marie Joseph Kerim Homberg, French diplomat, author and financier, former director of the Indo-China Bank. Also, a Dutch painting, sold at Sotheby's, New York on January 26, 2006, lot 8, lists a "Joseph Homberg, Paris" in its provenance.

  [2] See Sotheby's London auction catalogue from July 19, 1949.

  [3] See Sotheby's London auction catalogue from July 14, 1970. Dennis M. Cohen was a British collector. After his death ownership transferred to his wife, Mary M. Cohen. In 1970, her collection was auctioned at Sotheby's London, July 14, 1970 sale.

  [4] See note 3.

  [5] See note 3.

  [6] The J.T. Tai & Co., dealer number is YT 5922. See invoice from J.T. Tai & Co., Inc., dated May 12, 1975, copy in object file.

  [7] See note 6.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

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

• Previous custodian or owner

  Joseph Homberg

  Sotheby's (London)

  Dennis M. Cohen (1891-1970)

  Mrs. Mary Cohen

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

  Arthur M. Sackler Foundation (founded 1965)

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Gift of The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 1000s

• Name

  Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Sotheby's (London), Cohen, Mary, J. T. Tai & Co., Homberg, Joseph, Cohen, Dennis M.

• Place

  China

• Topic

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

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)