Food vessel (ding)

Historical period(s)
Western Zhou dynasty, 11th century BCE
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
H x W x D: 21.3 x 16.9 x 16.9 cm (8 3/8 x 6 5/8 x 6 5/8 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1987.303
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Metalwork, Vessel
Type

Ritual vessel: ding

Keywords
China, Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 1050 - 771 BCE)
Provenance

Qianlong Emperor (1711–1799), Forbidden City, China [1]

Prince Pulun, Senior Grandson of Daoguang Emperor, Forbidden City, China [2]

By 1924 to 1948
C. T. Loo & Company, Paris, France & New York, NY [3]

1948 to at least 1953
C. T. Loo, INC., New York, NY by transfer from C. T. Loo & Company in 1948 [4]

Likely 1953 to 1961
C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York, NY by transfer from C. T. Loo, INC., NY [5]

1961 to mid-1960s
Frank Caro Chinese Art, New York, NY from C. T. Loo Chinese Art, mode of acquisition unknown [6]

Early 1960s to 1987
Arthur M. Sackler, New York, NY likely purchased from Frank Caro Chinese Art in New York during the early 1960s [7]

From 1987
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift from Arthur M. Sackler on September 11, 1987 [8]

Notes:

[1] See: Chen Mengjia, Yin Zhou qing tong qi fen lei tu lu. Dongjing: Ji gu shu wu, 1977), 14 (this publication is also known by it’s Japanese title, In Shū seidōki bunrui zuroku). This publication notes both the Qianlong Emperor and Prince Pulun as former owners.

[2] See note 1.

[3] See: C. T. Loo, Appartenant à C. T. Loo et Cie (Paris et Bruxelles: Libraire Nationale d’Art et d’Histoire, 1924), plate XIV.

[4] 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. When Caro assumed leadership, he re-inventoried the stock and assigned new numbers, many of which began with an “E.” This object was part of that inventory process, being labeled “E-5031.”

[5] See note 4.

[6] In 1961, Loo and Caro’s agreement ended. C. T. Loo & Cie., Paris, France took control of C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York’s stock that C. T. Loo had added to the inventory before his death in 1957. Frank Caro then opened Frank Caro Chinese Art. Caro acquired pieces from Loo’s original stock, but the mode of acquisition is unknown.

[7] See note 3. Arthur M. Sackler purchased several bronzes from Frank Caro Chinese Art in 1964. It is possible that this bronze was part of that large purchase.

[8] Pursuant to the agreement between Arthur M. Sackler and the Smithsonian Institution, dated July 28, 1982, legal title of the donated objects was transferred to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery on September 11, 1987.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Hongli, the Qianlong emperor 1711-1799
Pulun 1874-1927
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler 1913-1987
C.T. Loo & Company 1914-1948
C.T. Loo, INC. ca. 1948-no later than July 1953
C.T. Loo Chinese Art 1953-1961
Frank Caro Chinese Art 1962-1980

Published References
  • Appartenant Ă  C.T. Loo et Cie. Paris and Brussels. plate XIV.
  • Dawn Ho Delbanco. Art from Ritual: Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessels from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections. Exh. cat. Washington. cat. 40, pp. 104-105.
  • et al. Asian Art in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery: The Inaugural Gift. Washington, 1987. cat. 123, p. 185.
  • Jessica Rawson. Western Zhou Ritual Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections. Ancient Chinese Bronzes from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, vol. 2 Washington and Cambridge, Massachusetts. cat. 1, pp. 216-219.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. 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 Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery welcome information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

citation | Save this image How to download an image | Terms of Use