Pendant in the form of a dragon

Object Details

• Description

  Bow-shaped profile of a bottle-horned kui 夔. Slight carving of outline to indicate form. Horn in doubly beveled line-relief, other details including eye, nose, and paw in beveled engraving. Short plain projection from upturned tail terminates in tapered oblique edge. Perforation in mouth. Indentation in tail but no perforation. (Translucent pale gray jade almost completely calcified on one side, and in part on the other, to a light ivory color. Traces of earth. Minor nicks on powdery areas.)

• Provenance

  At least from 1950-1953

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

  1953-1961

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

  1961-1964

  Frank Caro Chinese Art, New York, NY method of acquisition unknown [3]

  1964 to 1987

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, New York, purchased from Frank Caro Chinese Art [4]

  From 1987

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler

  [5]

  Notes:

  [1] Object published as part of the collection of C. T. Loo INC. in An Exhibition of Chinese Archaic Jades, arranged for Norton Gallery of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida (20 January to 1 March 1950, plate XX, no. 7.

  In 1950, C. T. Loo announced his retirement from C. T. Loo & Company, New York and Paris. Between 1950 and 1952, he continued to do business, however, he did so under the name C. T. Loo, INC. and organized exhibitions of his company’s stock using this new business name. C. T. Loo’s daughter, Janie Emanuel Loo operated the Paris branch of C. T. Loo & Company as C. T. Loo & Cie., Arts d’Asie.

  [2] 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. The stock number for this object was E 5625 (see note 3).

  [3] In 1961, Loo and Caro’s agreement ended. C. T. Loo & Cie., Paris, France took control of C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York’s stock that C. T. Loo had added to the inventory before his death in 1957. Frank Caro then opened Frank Caro Chinese Art. Caro acquired pieces from Loo’s original stock (the mode of acquisition is unknown) and incorporated them into his own stock. Frank Caro Chinese Art continued to use the stock numbers assigned to objects by C. T. Loo Chinese Art.

  Frank Caro Chinese Art sold this object to Dr. Arthur Sackler. See:

  no. E 5625: "jade musical pick," on invoice from Frank Caro Chinese Art to Arthur M. Sackler, August 27, 1964, copy in accession file.

  [4] See invoice cited in note 3.

  [5] 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

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

  Early Chinese Jades (April 24 to May 22, 1955)

  An Exhibition of Chinese Archaic Jades (January 20 to March 1, 1950)

• 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

  Jewelry and Ornament

• 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.

• Place

  China, Henan province, Anyang

• Topic

  Art, Carving, Chinese Art, Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1300 - 1050 BCE), Nephrite, Jade, Dragon

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Ornaments, Jewelry