Tray

Object Details

• Description

  Round, dark brown lacquer dish with a flat center, slightly concave rim and a low foot ring. The center has a raised design consisting of a flowering tree, bird and butterfly. The inner rim has a repeating, raised floral pattern around it. The raised areas are dark brown with distinctive streaks of red lacquer (vermillion). The rim and the foot ring have brass metal bands attached to them. A red lacquer signature seal is affixed to the reverse side.

• Provenance

  ?-1972

  Oriental House, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan method of acquisition unknown [1]

  1972-1987

  Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), purchased from Oriental House, Ltd. [2]

  1987-1996

  Owned jointly by Arthur M. Sackler Collections Trust (Estate of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, New York, NY and the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation), New York, NY [3]

  1997

  Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, New York, NY, method of acquisition unknown [4]

  From 1997

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler Foundation [5]

  Notes:

  [1] Oriental House Limited was a business located in Tokyo, Japan that was jointly operated by Sammy Yu-kuan Lee 李汝寬 (1902-2011) and David Techun Wang (1905-2005). It is unclear if they jointly owned the company, but their joint ownership of Sammy Y. Lee & Wangs Company, Ltd. in Hong Kong is well established. While Oriental House Limited typically specialized in the sale of Chinese home goods, it occasionally sold antiquities as well. The Hong Kong business specialized in the sale of Chinese antiquities and the production of furniture. When Arthur M. Sackler purchased this object (see note 2), he issued payment to "Oriental House, Ltd. Sammy Lee or David Te-chun Wang," see record of payment, "Lacquerware Collection Associated Accession Numbers -- Purchased from the Oriental House, Ltd."

  [2] See "Agreement" signed by Sammy Yu Kuan Lee on July 17, 1972, and Arthur M. Sackler on September 28, 1972, copy in object file. The document notes that Lee agreed to sell Sacker 100 lacquer objects and that Sackler will pay for the collection in one hundred installments, beginning on August 1, 1972. The document also notes: "The objects are now stored or [are] being exhibited in different countries such as Japan, Hong Kong, France, Germany, and United Kingdom. Mr. Lee or his representative will deliver too Dr. Sackler or his representative the objects as soon as possible within the payment period. The first payment was issued on September 28, 1972, and the last on November 21, 1979.

  It seems that Arthur M. Sackler received this object from Lee or his representative in 1974; the Sackler collection number assigned to the object was 74.5.16.

  [3] The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation owned 7.92% of the object after a 1996 settlement between the Arthur M. Sackler Estate and the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation.

  [4] In 1997, the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation presented this to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery as a gift independent from the Arthur M. Sackler Estate. See note 5

  [5] See deed of gift, signed July 19, 1997, copy in accession file.

  Research completed November 17, 2022.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Previous custodian or owner

  Sammy Yu Kuan Lee 李汝寬

  Oriental House LTD

  Arthur M. Sackler Foundation (founded 1965)

  The Arthur M. Sackler Collections Trust

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)

• Origin

  Okinawa prefecture, Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift of The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation

• Type

  Container

• Restrictions and Rights

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  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1770s, 1780s, 1790s, 1730s, 1740s, 1750s, 1760s, 1800s, 1810s, 1820s, 1830s, 1610s, 1650s, 1640s, 1630s, 1620s, 1690s, 1840s, 1680s, 1850s, 1670s, 1860s, 1660s

• Name

  Lee, Sammy Yu Kuan, Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Sackler, Arthur M., Oriental House LTD, The Arthur M. Sackler Collections Trust

• Place

  Japan, Okinawa prefecture

• Topic

  Trees, Art, Animals, Camellia, Insects, Edo period, Japan, (1600 - 1868), Japanese Art, Lacquer, Birds, Butterflies

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Containers