Ear cup
Terms of Use
Usage Conditions ApplyAt A Glance
-
Period
2nd century BCE -
Geography
China -
Material
Lacquer -
Dimension
H x W x D (overall): 5.2 x 16.3 x 12.8 cm (2 1/16 x 6 7/16 x 5 1/16 in) -
Accession Number
S2012.9.1591 -
EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_S2012.9.1591
Object Details
-
Provenance
1935 to 1937Likely unearthed in Changsha, Honan Province, China [1]1946 to 1948C. T. Loo & Company, New York acquired from an unknown source in December 1946 [2]1948 to 1953C. T. Loo, INC., New York by transfer from C. T. Loo & Company, New York [3]1953 to 1954C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York by transfer from C. T. Loo, INC. no later than summer of 1953 [4]1954 to 1997Dr. Paul Singer, Summit, NJ purchased from C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York on July 6, 1954 in New York, NY [5]1997 to 1999In 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]From 1999Arthur 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 Dr. Arthur M. Sackler [7]Notes:[1] According to John Hadley Cox, excavations at Changsha began during the construction of the Changsha Municipal Center, the majority of which occurred during his residency in Changsha from 1935 to 1937. See: An Exhibition of Chinese Antiquities from Ch’ang-Sha, lent by John Hadley Cox, Gallery of Fine Arts, Yale University, New Haven, CT (March 26 – May 7, 1939). See also: invoice from C. T. Loo Chinese Art to Dr. Paul Singer, July 6, 1954, copy in object file.[2] See invoice referenced in note 1. Object described as D 6429: “Lacquer face cup, oval shape, with ear shaped handles. Decorated on the lip rim, with stylized designs in red on dark brown background. Reddish brown inside. Inscribed – from Changsha. Late Chou.” See also C. T. Loo & Company stock card, original stock number scratched out, likely reads “86322” and replaced with “D 6429,” copy in object file. Stock card notes, “Dec. 46” at the top of the card and notes it was sold to Dr. Singer in July 1954.[3] C. T. Loo formed C. T. Loo, INC. in 1948 when C. T. Loo & Company could no longer access trade in China. 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.[4] See note 3.[5] See invoice referenced in note 1. The collection of Chinese art and antiquities assembled by Paul Singer was purchased by him on behalf of Dr. 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 Dr. Arthur M. Sackler.[6] 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.[7] See “The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art Gift Agreement,” March 1999, Collections Management Office. This object was formally accessioned into the museum collection in 2012. -
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection -
Exhibition History
Relics of Ancient China from the Collection of Dr. Paul Singer (1965)Arts of the Chou Dynasty (February 21 to March 28, 1958) -
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) -
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
Vessel -
Restrictions and Rights
Usage Conditions Apply
There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.
Keep Exploring
-
Related Resources
-
Date
-
Name
-
Place
-
Topic
-
Culture
-
Object Type