Pestle with handle in form of a monkey

1938 to 1948
C. T. Loo & Company, New York, NY acquired on September 22, 1938 [1]

1948 to 1953
C. T. Loo, INC. by transfer from C. T. Loo & Company, NY [2]

1953 to 1954
C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York by transfer from C. T. Loo & Company, NY [3]

1954 to 1997
Dr. Paul Singer, Summit, NJ purchased from C. T. Loo & Company on June 8, 1954 in New York, NY [2]

1997 to 1999
In the custody of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, upon Paul Singer’s death in January 1997 and a loan agreement between the Executors of the Singer Estate and the Gallery in February 1997 [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 Arthur M. Sackler [4]

Notes:

[1] See C. T. Loo & Company stock card J.D. 38/03, which notes “22-Sept- 38” in the upper left corner, copy in object file. The card notes a second inventory number, E 5826. This second number was likely assigned by Frank Caro around 1953, see note 2.

[2] C. T. Loo (1880-1957) formed C. T. Loo, INC. in 1948, when his company, C. T. Loo & Company lost access to suppliers in China. The company closed by the summer of 1953, after Loo appointed his associate, Frank Caro as the manager and leader of the New York branch of C. T. Loo & Company. Caro assumed leadership in 1952 and in 1953 began operating as C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York and dissolved C. T. Loo, INC.

[3] See note 2 and invoice from C. T. Loo Chinese Art to Dr. Paul Singer, June 8, 1954, copy in object file. Object described: “Pestle with Monkey Handle – White marble calcified with a smooth light brown or rough white surface, Shang – Height: 6-1/4 inches. Column with knob at base covered with deeply striated lines. On opposite end a monkey stand, large head with protruding ear, wide nose, mouth, arms together in front of body, long tai coiled around column. The body of monkey has overall engraved designs, a bottle-horned t’ao t’ieh on his shoulders, a cicada on his stomach, spirals on arms and legs and lozenges on the tail.”

The collection of Chinese art and antiquities assembled by Paul Singer was purchased by him on behalf of Arthur M. Sackler, Jillian Sackler, the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities and later was transferred to the children of Arthur M. Sackler.

[4] The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art came into the custody of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, upon Paul Singer’s death in January 1997 and a loan agreement between the Executors of the Singer Estate and the Gallery in February 1997.

[5] See “The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art Gift Agreement,” March 1999, Collections Management Office. This object was formally accessioned into the museum collection in 2012.