Oracle bone fragment, inscribed

Object Details

• Provenance

  From 1930s to ?

  Fritz Bilfinger, purchased in China in the 1930s. [1]

  From ? to 1997

  Dr. Paul Singer (1904-1997), Summit, New Jersey, purchased from Fritz Bilfinger. [2]

  From 1997 to 1999

  In the custody of Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, DC [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] According to Qi Wenxin, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of History, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, “Singer acquired the oracle bones from Fritz Bilfinger, a Swiss citizen who was a representative of the Aluminum Company of Canada, while traveling in the Far East. Bilfinger purchased the oracle bones in China in the 1930s.” See “Singer Chinese Oracle Bones” document dated September 20, 2002 in the object record.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] Between 1997 and 1999, The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art was in the custody of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington DC

  [4] See “The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art Gift Agreement” from March 1999, Collections Management Office. The object was formally accessioned into the museum’s permanent collection in 2012. See Acquisition Consideration Form, object file, Collections Management Office.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

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

• Previous custodian or owner

  Dr. and Mrs. Fritz Bilfinger

  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

  Ceremonial Object

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 1000s

• Name

  Singer, Paul, Bilfinger, Fritz

• Place

  China, Henan province, Anyang

• Topic

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

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Ceremonial objects