Libation Cup

From at least 1954 to 1968
Desmond Gure (1905-1970), London, from at least August 1954 [1]

From 1968 to 1987
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), New York, purchased from Desmond Gure on January 10, 1968 [2]

From 1987
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, gift of Arthur M. Sackler on September 11, 1987 [3]

Notes:

[1] Gure lent the object to an exhibition organized by Jean-Pierre Dubosc in Venice in 1954, see Mostra d’arte Cinese: catalogo / Exhibition of Chinese Art: Catalogue (Venice: Alfieri Editore, 1954), cat. 225 (ill.), listed as “Coll. Mr. and Mrs. Desmond Gure, London.” See also an undated typed inventory of Desmond Gure’s collection, “List 1 – Objects Not Exhibited at Stockholm 1963,” no. 28: “A white jade Libation cup, of almost oval form with reeded lip, the handle terminating in a horned dragon’s mask on a rim foot – 4 ¼ in long – Sung Dynasty – Fitted Box,” copy in object file.

[2] According to information provided by Arthur M. Sackler Foundation in October 2009, Arthur M. Sackler purchased the jade as part of Desmond Gure’s jade collection on January 10, 1968. See “Arthur M. Sackler Gift: Chinese Jades: Summary,” where the object is listed under Sackler Collection no. J-1312 and identified as S1987.726.

[3] 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.