Pendant in the form of an archer’s thumbring with bird and incised linked curls

Object Details

• Provenance

  1928–1932

  Purportedly discovered in tomb located in Henan province, Jincun, China [1]

  To 1947

  Likely Lu Wu Antiques Company, Shanghai and Beijing, China [2]

  1947 to 1948

  C. T. Loo and Company, New York, NY, acquired this object in China during August 1947 from Lu Wu Antiques

  Company [3]

  1948 to 1953

  C. T. Loo, INC., New York, NY, by transfer from C. T. Loo and Company [4]

  1953 to 1961

  C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York, NY, by transfer from C. T. Loo, INC., NY [5]

  1961 to 1964

  Frank Caro Chinese Art, New York, NY, mode of acquisition of known [6]

  1964 to 1987

  Arthur M. Sackler, New York, NY, purchased in New York City from Frank Caro Chinese Art on August 27, 1964 [7]

  From 1987

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Arthur M. Sackler on September 11, 1987 [8]

  Notes:

  [1] Discovery site noted on C. T. Loo and Company stock card no. GHL 7/699 (see note 2), copy in object file. Several tombs near Chin ts’un (Jincun) in Western Henan were discovered in the summer of 1928 after heavy rain, when sinkholes began to emerge. Immediately upon discovery, the tombs were scavenged by locals. Only two tombs were systematically excavated (See William Charles White, Tombs of Old Lo Yang: A Record of the Construction and Contents of a Group of Royal Tombs at Chin ts’un, Probably Dating to 550 B.C. [Shanghai: Kelly and Walsh Limited, 1934]; and William Charles White, “China’s Cultural Heritage,” in Transactions of the Royal

  Society of Canada 37 [)943]: 151.)

  [2] Lu Wu was an export business that supplied C. T. Loo’s businesses with Chinese art to sell in the West. Loo formed the company in 1911 with Wu Qi Zhou. They had warehouses in Beijing and Shanghai, where art dealers and private individuals could sell antiquities. All objects that Lu Wu acquired would be sent to Shanghai, packaged, and shipped to France, where C. T. Loo and Company, Paris, would either keep pieces for sale in the Parisian gallery or ship antiquities to the New York gallery. See C. T. Loo and Company stock card no. GHL 7/699, which reports the object is “. . . from China August 47” and describes it as: “Jade pendant with open work bird standing on a shield like motif with stylized clouds pattern translucent jade, found at Chin tsun [Jincun]. Late Chou [Zhou].

  Lengt½ 1/2 ins.” Copy in object file. When Frank Caro took control of C. T. Loo’s business (see note 5), he assigned a new inventory number to the object and scratched out GHL 7/699, replacing it with E5627.

  [3] See stock card cited in note 1.

  [4] C. T. Loo formed C. T. Loo, INC., in 1948 when C. T. Loo and Company could no longer access trade in China. See

  also C. T. Loo INC. ownership indicated in: C. T. Loo, INC., An Exhibition of Chinese Archaic Jades (Norton Gallery of Art, West Palm Beach, FL: January 20 to March 1, 1950), plate XLIX, no. 6.

  [5] See note 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.

  [6] 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, but the mode of acquisition is unknown. See invoice from Frank Caro Chinese Art to Arthur M. Sackler, August 27, 1964, no. E 5627: “Jade musical pick,

  (Wadsworth Exhibition #85) Jade Cat. Pl 49 #6,” copy in object file.

  [7] See invoice cited in note 6.

  [8] 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.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

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

  4000 Years of Chinese Art (October 17 to November 30, 1958)

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

• Previous custodian or owner

  Lu Wu Antiques Co. 盧吳古玩公司 (1911-ca. 1949)

  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

  Jewelry and Ornament

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 0s

• Name

  Frank Caro Chinese Art, Sackler, Arthur M., Lu Wu Antiques Co., C.T. Loo Chinese Art, C.T. Loo, INC., C.T. Loo & Company

• Place

  China

• Topic

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

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Ornaments, Jewelry