Pendant (pei) in the form of a bird

Object Details

• Description

  Ornament, bird; carved linear details; opaque tans. (Broken tip of beak and chest [latter original loop?]; adherence, reddish [textiles?].)

• Provenance

  From 1925

  C. T. Loo & Co., Paris and New York, from at least 1925 [1]

  Mrs. Christian R. (Bettie F.) Holmes (1871-1941), New York and "The Chimneys," Sands Point, Port Washington, Long Island [2]

  To 1959

  Tonying and Company, New York, to November 25, 1959 [3]

  From 1959 to 1987

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), New York, purchased from Tonying and Company on November 25, 1959 [4]

  From 1987

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

  Notes:

  [1] See Paul Pelliot, Jades Archaïques de Chine appartenant à M. C. T. Loo (Paris and Brussels: G. Van Oest, 1925), pl. XXVI-6.

  [2] According to information provided by Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, October 2009.

  [3] See Tonying & Company’s invoice, issued to Arthur M. Sackler, dated November 25, 1959, in which the jade is listed under no. Jo 32: “Archaic Jade Bird / Shang,” copy in object file, provided by Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, October 2009.

  [4] See Tonying & Company’s invoice, citied in note 2.

  [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

  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)

  Studies in connoisseurship: Chinese paintings from the Arthur M. Sackler collection in New York and Princeton (December 8, 1973 to 1975)

• Previous custodian or owner

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

  Mrs. Christian R. Holmes (1871-1941)

  Tonying and Company 通運公司 (established 1902)

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)

• Origin

  Anyang, probably 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 1000s

• Name

  Holmes, Christian R., Sackler, Arthur M., Tonying and Company, C.T. Loo & Company

• Place

  China, Henan province, Anyang

• Topic

  Art, Animals, Carving, Chinese Art, Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1300 - 1050 BCE), Nephrite, Birds, Jade

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Ornaments, Jewelry