Incense burner

Object Details

• Provenance

  Around 1935 to 1960

  Likely unearthed at Nantai kiln site in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China under the supervision of James Marshall Plumer (1899-1960), Ann Arbor, MI and incorporated into his private collection [1]

  1960 to 1968

  Caroline (Carol) L. Plumer (1901–1995) inherited upon the death of her husband on June 15, 1960 [2]

  1968 to 1997

  Dr. Paul Singer, Summit, NJ purchased from Caroline L. Plumer through Frank Caro Co. Chinese Art, New York, NY on December 3, 1968 [3]

  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 [4]

  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 [5]

  Notes:

  [1] See drafted catalogue of The Paul Singer Collection, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. See also: Fujio Koyama and Jiro Harada, “Yüeh-Chou Yao Celadon Excavated in Japan,” Artibus Asiae, Vol. 14, No.1/2 (1951), p.31. James Marshall Plumber discovered the Yüeh-chou celadon kiln-sites at Nan-t’ai (now known as Nantai) around 1935.

  Plumer likely incorporated the object into his collection shortly after its discovery. The object remained in his collection until his death, see: Selections from the James Marshall Plumer Collection of Oriental Art: A memorial Exhibition, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI (March 6 to April 8, 1962), 22b.

  [2] Caroline Plumer managed the dispersal of her husband’s collection, working extensively with Frank Caro, the successor to C. T. Loo Chinese Art (later operating as Frank Caro Chinese Art and as Frank Caro Co. Chinese Art). Around the time of the 1962 exhibition (referenced in note 1) to possibly as late as 1970, Frank Caro held pieces from James Marshall Plumer’s collection on consignment (see letters from Lnor O. West of the Freer Gallery of Art to Mr. Frank Caro, April 12, 1962, in object file F1974.121). Frank Caro inventoried the Plumer’s collection and created stock cards for each object; each is inventoried with the “CP” or “JCP” prefix. This piece was inventoried as “CP 319” (the “CP” could be a typing error, as “JCP” is the more common lettering in his files).

  [3] See invoice on Frank Caro Co. Chinese Art letterhead to Dr. Paul Singer, December 3, 1968, copy in object file. Object identified as “CP 319: Porcellaneous incense burner Pa-shan-lo with tall domed lid, on a flat base saucer foot. Domed lid with holes and petal like shoots. Coated with a think greenish glaze. Yueh type. Han. H: 4 ½.” Unclear if this object was still held by Frank Caro on consignment (see note 2).

  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

  Unearthing China's Past (November 15, 1973 to February 15, 1974)

  Selections from the James Marshall Plumer Collection of Oriental Art: A Memorial Exhibition (March 6 to April 8, 1962)

  Chinese Ceramics from the Prehistoric Period Through Chien-lung (March 14 to April 27, 1952)

• Previous custodian or owner

  James Marshall Plumer (1899-1960)

  Caroline L. Plumer (1901-1995)

  Dr. Paul Singer (1904-1997)

• Origin

  Fujian 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

  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

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  500s

• Name

  Singer, Paul, Plumer, Caroline L., Plumer, James Marshall

• Place

  China, Fujian province

• Topic

  Art, The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Fujian ware, Stoneware, Chinese Art, Incense, Ceramics, Southern dynasties (317 - 589)

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)