Ornament with dragon heads and raised uniform curls arranged in a grid

Object Details

• Provenance

  1931 to 1932

  Likely discovered in tomb located in Shou xian, Anhui province, China [1]

  To at least late 1940

  Zhang Naiji (1899–1948), Shanghai, China, then New York, NY [2]

  1948 to around 1954

  Zhang Mei Chien (1901–ca. 1955), New York, NY, inherited upon her husband’s death [3]

  Around 1954 to 1961

  C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York, NY, likely purchased from Zhang Mei Chien in New York [4]

  Around 1961 to 1964

  Frank Caro Chinese Art, New York, NY, mode of acquisition unknown [5]

  From 1964 to 1987

  Arthur M. Sackler, New York, NY, purchased from Frank Caro Chinese Art on August 27, 1964, in New York, NY [6]

  From 1987

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler on September 11, 1987 [7]

  Notes:

  [1] Object published in Archaic Chinese Jades: Special Exhibition February 1940 (Philadelphia: The University Museum, 1940), cat. 199. Catalogue entry notes discovery site as Shou-hsien (now known as Shou xian), where tombs were exposed between 1931 and 1932. During this period the tombs were never properly excavated.

  [2] Zhang Naiji (also known as N. C. Chang) was a businessman, born to a prestigious family in Zhejiang that made their wealth in the silk and salt industries. He collected ancient Chinese art objects and Chinese coins. Zhang amassed his collection whilst living in Shanghai, before leaving for America in 1938, and acquired his objects onsite of archaeological excavations (see Alfred Salmony, Chinese Jade through the Wei Dynasty [New York: The Ronald Press Company, 1963], p. 115).

  Zhang lent his collection anonymously to Archaic Chinese Jades: Special Exhibition (1940). We know his identity through letters housed in the Department of Archives, The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (see letter, C. T. Loo to Horace Jayne, October 25, 1939, and letter from C. T. Loo to Horace Jayne, December 16, 1939, copies in Freer and Sackler COM provenance files). The exhibition was entirely organized by C. T. Loo and Company, New York. Letters exchanged between C. T. Loo and the director of The University Museum, Mr. Horace H. F. Jayne, reveal that Zhang Naiji owned the objects and C. T. Loo and

  Company had the collection on consignment (see letter from C. T. Loo to Horace Jayne, May 28, 1939, and letter from C. T. Loo to Horace Jayne, October 23, 1940, copies on COM provenance files). C. T. Loo and Company kept the jade collection on consignment from 1940 through Zhang’s death in 1948, inventorying the pieces with a prefix “J” and labeling each item as “Chang [Zhang] Collection.”

  [3] Zhang Mei Chien, Zhang Naiji’s wife, assumed ownership upon his death in 1948. She sold several pieces from her husband’s collection to both C. T. Loo and Company (later known as C. T. Loo, INC., and then C. T. Loo

  Chinese Art, see notes 4 and 5) and J. T. Tai and Company. She sold to J. T. Tai and Company in July 1954 (for example, see J. T. Tai and Company Stock Record YT 886 and YT 895, copies in COM provenance files).

  [4] When C. T. Loo and Company purchased the object, they retained the same stock number that they assigned the object when the company consigned it: J-145 (see note 7). The exact date of purchase is unknown.

  In 1950, C.T. Loo announced his retirement from C. T. Loo and Company, New York and Paris. Between 1950 and 1952, he continued to do business in New York under the name C. T. Loo, INC., New York. C. T. Loo’s daughter, Janie Emanuel operated the Paris branch of C. T. Loo and Company as C. T. Loo and Cie., Arts d’Asie. On September 1, 1952, C. T. Loo’s associate, Frank Caro (1904–1980) took over daily operations of the New York business, operating 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. C. T. Loo Chinese Art kept the same stock number that C. T. Loo and Company assigned it when consigning for Zhang Naiji, J-145.

  [5] In 1961, Loo and Caro’s agreement ended. C. T. Loo and 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 likely sold this object to Dr. Arthur Sackler. See “J-145: Archaic jade applique in form of a double headed dragon with openwork,” see invoice from Frank Caro Chinese Art addressed to Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, August 27, 1964, copy located in object file and in Freer and Sackler COM provenance files.

  [6] See note 5.

  [7] 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

  Archaic Chinese Jades, Special Exhibition (February 1940)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Zhang Naiji 張乃驥 (1899-1948)

  Zhang Mei Chien (1900-1998)

  Frank Caro Chinese Art (1962-1980)

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)

• Origin

  Shou xian, purportedly found at Anhui province, China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

• Type

  Jewelry and Ornament

• 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 0s

• Name

  Frank Caro Chinese Art, Sackler, Arthur M., Zhang, Naiji, Zhang, Chien Mei

• Place

  China, purportedly found at Anhui province, Shou xian

• Topic

  Art, Eastern Zhou dynasty (770 - 221 BCE), Carving, Chinese Art, Nephrite, Jade, Warring States period (475 - 221 BCE), Dragon

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Ornaments, Jewelry