Pendant in the form of a stag

Deer plaque, profile with head turned back; opaque tan and brown/gray. (Many calcified areas; powdery, worn; both legs broken off; ear chipped; crack in center of body. Traces of cinnabar.)

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Historical period(s)
Western Zhou dynasty, ca. 1050-ca. 850 BCE
Medium
Jade
Dimensions
H x W x D: 4.1 x 4 x 0.4 cm (1 5/8 x 1 9/16 x 3/16 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1987.564
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Jade, Jewelry and Ornament
Type

Jewelry

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

By 1950 to 1953
C. T. Loo INC., New York, NY [1]

1953 to 1961
C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York, NY by transfer from C. T. Loo, INC., NY [2]

1961 to 1964
Frank Caro Chinese Art, New York, NY, mode of acquisition unknown [3]

1964 to 1987
Arthur M. Sackler, New York, NY purchased in New York City from Frank Caro Chinese Art, New York, NY on August 27, 1964 [4]

From 1987
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Arthur M. Sackler on September 11, 1987 [5]

Notes:

[1] Object published in C. T. Loo, INC. Chinese Archaic Jades, arranged for Norton Gallery of Art exh. cat. (Norton Gallery of Art, January 20 to March 1, 1950), plate 11, no. 3 (ill.)

[2] C. T. Loo formed C. T. Loo, INC. in 1948, when his company C. T. Loo & Company lost direct trade to China. 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.

[3] 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 (the mode of acquisition is unknown). See invoice from Frank Caro Chinese Art to Arthur M. Sackler, August 27, 1964, no. E 5704: “Jade deer (Jade Cat. Pl. 11 #3),” copy in object file.

[4] See note 3.

[5] 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)

Dr. Arthur M. Sackler 1913-1987
C.T. Loo, INC. ca. 1948-no later than July 1953
C.T. Loo Chinese Art 1953-1961
Frank Caro Chinese Art 1962-1980

Description

Deer plaque, profile with head turned back; opaque tan and brown/gray. (Many calcified areas; powdery, worn; both legs broken off; ear chipped; crack in center of body. Traces of cinnabar.)

Published References
  • J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
  • C.T. Loo & Company, (Introduction) Lindsay Hughes Cooper. An Exhibition of Archaic Chinese Jades. Exh. cat. New York. no. 3, pl. 11.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Jades for Life and Death
Google Cultural Institute
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