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Ritual wine container (zun) with masks (taotie) and dragons

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At A Glance

Period

ca. 1100-1050 BCE
Geography

Anyang, probably Henan province, China
Material

Bronze
Dimension

H x W x D: 30 × 20.7 × 20.7 cm (11 13/16 × 8 1/8 × 8 1/8 in)
Accession Number

S1987.66
EDAN ID

edanmdm:fsg_S1987.66

Object Details

Inscriptions

Inscribed on the bottom of the interior, Yin Zhou Fu Ji 尹舟父己 (“Commander|Officer of Boats [Made for] Deceased Father Ji”)
Provenance

?-no later than 1880

Reportedly Pan Zuyin (1830-1890), method of acquisition unknown [1]

By 1950-1953

C. T. Loo, INC., New York, method of acquisition unknown [2]

1953-1961

C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York, by transfer from C. T. Loo, INC. around 1953 [3]

1961-1964

Frank Caro Chinese Art, New York, by transfer from C. T. Loo Chinese Art around 1961 [4]

1964-1987

Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), purchased from Frank Caro Chinese Art, New York [5]

From 1987

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Arthur M. Sackler [6]

Notes:

[1] A note in the Arthur M. Sackler collection inventory sheet attributes this information to a 1977 publication by Chen Mengjia and Matsumaru Michio, “In Shū seidōki bunrui zuroku”, p. 84.

[2] See Wadsworth Atheneum exhibition catalog “4000 Years of Chinese Art: An Exhibition Organized and Lent by C. T. Loo” [exhibition catalog] (Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT, October 17-November 30, 1958), cat. no. 6 (no illustration). An inventory of remaining stock at C. T. Loo, INC. occurred about 1950; and the inventory number with the prefix “E” is likely a secondary inventory number for this object, following the 1950 inventory.

[3] C.T. Loo formed C. T. Loo, INC. in 1948, when he lost access to trade in mainland China.

Additionally, see note 1. C. T. Loo (1880-1957) was one of the most prominent and well-known figures in the world of Chinese art in the first half of the twentieth century. Loo owned and operated eponymous galleries in New York and Paris, where he offered Chinese, Indian, and South Asian antiquities for study and sale.

[4] See object file for copy of Frank Caro Chinese Art invoice to Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, dated August 26, 1964. 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. About 1950, Caro assigned new inventory numbers to C. T. Loo & Company’s stock, assigning numbers with an “E” prefix. This object was included in that inventory process, receiving the new number “E-5046”. See also notes 1 and 2.

[5] See note 3.

[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. Dr. Arthur M. Sackler was a physician, medical publisher, pharmaceutical marketer, and collector of Asian art.

Research updated May 3, 2023
Collection

Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Exhibition History

Anyang: China's Ancient City of Kings (February 25, 2023 to April 28, 2024)

The Arts of China (November 18, 1990 to September 7, 2014)

Chinese Bronzes from the Sackler Collection (November 19 to December 30, 1989)

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

Vessel
Restrictions and Rights

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