Lidded cylindrical tripod cup with dragon interlace

Nephrite cup with cover; decoration in relief and incised; wooden stand.

Historical period(s)
Western Han dynasty, 206 BCE- 9 CE
Medium
Jade (nephrite)
Dimensions
H x W: 7.5 x 2.9 cm (2 15/16 x 1 1/8 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1947.10a-c
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Jade, Vessel
Type

Cup

Keywords
China, dragon, Western Han dynasty (206 BCE - 9 CE)
Provenance

From at least 1939 to 1947
C. T. Loo & Company, New York, from at least January 10, 1939 [1]

From 1947
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from C. T. Loo & Company on May 7, 1947 [2]

Notes:

[1] The object was lent by C. T. Loo to the Arden Gallery in 1939; see 3000 Years of Chinese Jade, exh. cat. (New York: Arden Gallery, January 10 - February 11, 1939), cat. 184 (ill.). See also C. T. Loo's stockcard no. 80121: "Jade deep cylindrical tripod cup with one handle and a cover surmounted by three small curled animals on a geometrical pattern. The cup is decorated with two dragons and a t'ao t'ieh mask handle on a geometrical pattern. HAN," C. T. Loo & Frank Caro Archive, Musée Guimet, Paris, copy in object file. In June 1944, the cup was brought to the Freer Gallery for examination.

[2] See C. T. Loo's invoice, dated May 7, 1947, copy in object file.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

C.T. Loo & Company 1914-1948

Description

Nephrite cup with cover; decoration in relief and incised; wooden stand.

Published References
  • Geoffrey WIlls. Jade of the East., 1st ed. New York, 1972. fig. 47.
  • William Watson. China Before the Han Dynasty. Ancient Peoples and Places, vol. 23 New York. pl. 63.
  • Sueji Umehara. Jade Vessels of the Warring States Period. no. 18 Osaka, January 1956. pl. XIII A.
  • Sueji Umehara. Shina kogyoku zuroku [Selected Specimens of Chinese Archaic Jade]. Kyoto, 1955. pl. 61.
  • Smithsonian Institution. Report of the Secretary, 1946-1947. Washington. pl. 1.
  • Na Chih-liang. Yu ch'i tz'u t'ien [Dictionary of Chinese Jade]. Taipei, 1982. vol. 2: p. 327.
  • Dr. John Alexander Pope, Thomas Lawton, Harold P. Stern. The Freer Gallery of Art. 2 vols., Washington and Tokyo, 1971-1972. cat. 20, vol. 1: p. 155.
  • Na Chih-liang. "玉器通史." Yu ch'i t'ung shih [A General Study of Chinese Jade]. Hong Kong, 1965. p. 19, fig. 23.
  • Masterpieces of Chinese and Japanese Art: Freer Gallery of Art handbook. Washington, 1976. p. 33.
  • (Introduction) Horace Jayne. Archaic Chinese Jades. Exh. cat. Philadelphia, PA, February 1940. p. 58.
  • Hai wai i chen [Chinese Art in Overseas Collections]. Taipei, 1985. p. 64.
  • Alfred Salmony. 3000 Years of Chinese Jade. Exh. cat. New York, January 10 - February 1, 1939. cat. 184, p. 78.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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