Pendant in the form of a dragon

Object Details

• Previous custodian or owner

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

  C.T. Loo, INC. (ca. 1948-no later than July 1953)

  C.T. Loo Chinese Art (1953-1961)

  Dr. Paul Singer (1904-1997)

• Provenance

  1946 to 1948

  C. T Loo & Company, New York, NY acquired in November 1946 from an unknown source [1]

  1948 to 1953

  C. T. Loo, INC., New York by transfer from C. T. Loo & Company, New York [2]

  1953 to 1959

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

  1959 to 1997

  Dr. Paul Singer, Summit, NJ purchased from C. T. Loo Chinese Art on January 2, 1959 in New York, NY [4]

  1997 to 1999

  In the custody of Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, upon Paul Singer’s death in January 1997 and loan agreement between the Executors of the Singer Estate and the Gallery in February 1997 [5]

  From 1999

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Paul Singer, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, and the Children of Arthur M. Sackler [6]

  Notes:

  [1] See C. T. Loo & Company stock card 30427: “Small jade dragon CHOW, small jade pendant dragon from Middle CHOW,” copy in accession file. “Nov. 1946” listed at top right of stock card. The stock number 30427 has been scratched out and replaced with E 5809. This inventory number was likely assigned by Frank Caro, Loo’s associate, when he assumed leadership of the company (see note 2).

  [2] C. T. Loo (1880-1957) formed C. T. Loo, INC. in 1948, when his company, C. T. Loo & Company lost access to suppliers in China. The company closed by the summer of 1953, after Loo appointed his associate, Frank Caro as the manager and leader of the New York branch of C. T. Loo & Company. Caro assumed leadership in 1952 and in 1953 began operating as C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York and dissolved C. T. Loo, INC.

  [3] See notes 1 and 2.

  [4] The sale to Dr. Singer is documented on stock card referenced in note 1. The card reports: “1959 Jan. 2 to Dr. Singer.” The collection of Chinese art and antiquities assembled by Paul Singer was purchased by him on behalf of Arthur M. Sackler, Jillian Sackler, the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities and later was transferred to the children of Arthur M. Sackler.

  [5] The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art came into the custody of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, upon Paul Singer’s death in January 1997 and a loan agreement between the Executors of the Singer Estate and the Gallery in February 1997.

  [6] See “The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art Gift Agreement,” March 1999, Freer and Sackler Collections Management Office. This object was formally accessioned into the museum collection in 2012.

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; a joint gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Paul Singer, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, and the Children 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, BCE 1000s

• Name

  Singer, Paul, C.T. Loo Chinese Art, C.T. Loo, INC., C.T. Loo & Company

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 1050 - 771 BCE), Art, The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Chinese Art, Dragon

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Ornaments, Jewelry