Disk (bi) with dragons

Object Details

• Provenance

  By 1949 to 1953

  C. T. Loo, INC., New York, NY [1]

  1953 to 1961

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

  1962 to 1964

  Frank Caro Chinese Art, New York, NY, by transfer from C. T. Loo Chinese Art [3]

  1964 to 1987

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, New York, NY, purchased from Frank Caro Chinese Art on August 27, 1964, in New York, NY [4]

  From 1987

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler on September 11, 1987 [5]

  Notes:

  [1] Object published in C. T. Loo, INC., An Exhibition of Chinese Archaic Jades: Arranged for Norton Gallery of Art (Norton Gallery of Art, 1950), plate XXXII, no.4.

  [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. Caro assigned new inventory numbers to C. T. Loo and Company’s stock, assigning numbers with an “E” prefix. This object was included in that inventory process (see note 3).

  [3] 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). Frank Caro Chinese Art stock no. E 5792, “Jade Pi [Bi] (Jade Cat. Pl: 32 #3), see invoice from Frank Caro Chinese Art to Arthur M. Sackler, August 27, 1964, copy in object file. As of September 2019, corresponding stock card has not been located in the C. T. Loo and Frank Caro Archive at the Musée Guimet, Paris.

  [4] See Frank Caro’s 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

  5000 Years of Chinese Jade (October 1, 2011 to February 19, 2012)

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

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

• Previous custodian or owner

  C.T. Loo & Company (1914-1948)

  Frank Caro (1904-1980)

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

• Type

  Ceremonial Object

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 0s

• Name

  Sackler, Arthur M., Caro, Frank, C.T. Loo & Company

• Place

  China

• Topic

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

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Ceremonial objects