Pestle with handle in form of a monkey

Object Details

• Provenance

  1938 to 1948

  C. T. Loo & Company, New York, NY acquired on September 22, 1938 [1]

  1948 to 1953

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

  1953 to 1954

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

  1954 to 1997

  Dr. Paul Singer, Summit, NJ purchased from C. T. Loo & Company on June 8, 1954 in New York, NY [2]

  1997 to 1999

  In 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 [3]

  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 Dr. Arthur M. Sackler [4]

  Notes:

  [1] See C. T. Loo & Company stock card J.D. 38/03, which notes “22-Sept- 38” in the upper left corner, copy in object file.

  The card notes a second inventory number, E 5826. This second number was likely assigned by Frank Caro around 1953, 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 note 2 and invoice from C. T. Loo Chinese Art to Dr. Paul Singer, June 8, 1954, copy in object file. Object described: “Pestle with Monkey Handle – White marble calcified with a smooth light brown or rough white surface, Shang – Height: 6-1/4 inches. Column with knob at base covered with deeply striated lines. On opposite end a monkey stand, large head with protruding ear, wide nose, mouth, arms together in front of body, long tai coiled around column. The body of monkey has overall engraved designs, a bottle-horned t’ao t’ieh on his shoulders, a cicada on his stomach, spirals on arms and legs and lozenges on the tail.”

  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.

  [4] 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.

  [5] 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

  Anyang: China's Ancient City of Kings (February 25, 2023 to April 28, 2024)

  One Man’s Search for Ancient China: The Paul Singer Collection (January 19 to July 7, 2013)

  An Exhibition of Chinese Sculpture (1940)

  3000 Years of Chinese Jade (January 10 to February 11, 1939)

• 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

  Anyang, probably Henan province, 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

  Sculpture

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 1000s

• Name

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

• Place

  China, Henan province, Anyang

• Topic

  Art, The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Animals, Chinese Art, Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1300 - 1050 BCE), Monkeys, Stone

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Sculpture