Pendant in the form of a plaque with interlaced dragons

Object Details

• Provenance

  1928 to 1932

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

  To 1948

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

  1948 to 1954

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

  1954 to 1963

  J. T. Tai and Company, New York, NY, purchased from Zhang Mei Chien in July 1954 in New York, NY [4]

  From 1964 to 1987

  Arthur M. Sackler, New York, NY, purchased from J. T. Tai and Company on May 15, 1963, in New York, NY [5]

  From 1987

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Arthur M. Sackler on September 11, 1987 [6]

  Notes:

  [1] Discovery site noted as Chin ts’un (now known as Jincun), see Archaic Chinese Jades: Special Exhibition February 1940 (Philadelphia: The University Museum, 1940), cat. 106. 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 heavily 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 [1943): 151). This discovery site is unlikely given the style of the object.

  [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. 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 from 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 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] J. T. Tai and Company’s stock record no. YT 601, “1 jade piece,” according to invoice dated May 15, 1963, addressed to Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, copy provided by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation on October 9, 2009. Copy located in object file, full copy in Freer and Sackler provenance files in COM office.

  [5] See J. T. Tai and Company invoice dated May 15, 1963, addressed to Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, copy in object file and full copy in Freer and Sackler provenance files in COM office.

  [6] 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

  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)

  Archaic Chinese Jades, Special Exhibition (February 1940)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Zhang Naiji 張乃驥 (1899-1948)

  Zhang Mei Chien (1900-1998)

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

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)

• Origin

  Jincun, purportedly found at 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 0s

• Name

  Sackler, Arthur M., Zhang, Naiji, J. T. Tai & Co., Zhang, Chien Mei

• Place

  China, purportedly found at Henan province, Jincun

• Topic

  Art, Eastern Zhou dynasty (770 - 221 BCE), Carving, Chinese Art, Pendant, Nephrite, Jade, Spring and Autumn period (770 - 476 BCE)

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Ornaments, Jewelry