Pendant in the form of a bird in flight

Historical period(s)
early Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty or early Western Zhou dynasty, ca. 1100-950 BCE
Medium
Jade
Dimensions
H x Diam (overall): 3.7 x 0.8 cm (1 7/16 x 5/16 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; a joint 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
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S2012.9.366
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Jade, Jewelry and Ornament
Type

Pendant

Keywords
Anyang period (ca. 1300 - ca. 1050 BCE), bird, China, Paul Singer collection, Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 1050 - 771 BCE)
Provenance

By 1937 to 1948
C. T. Loo & Company, New York, NY acquired by April 14, 1937 [1]

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

1953 to 1958
C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York by transfer from C. T. Loo, INC., NY [3]

1958 to 1997
Dr. Paul Singer, Summit, NJ purchased from C. T. Loo & Company on August 26, 1958 [4]

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 [5]

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 [6]

Notes:

[1] See C. T. Loo & Company, New York, NY stock card, 34/134: “Small green jade round bird,” copy in object file. The inventory number “34/134”, has been scratched out and replaced with “E 5821,” which was likely assigned by Frank Caro around 1953 (see note 3).

[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 4.

[4] See note 2. The sale to Dr. Paul Singer is noted on the card: “1958 Aug 26 Sold to Dr. Singer.” 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.

[5] 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.

[6] 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.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Dr. Paul Singer 1904-1997
C.T. Loo & Company 1914-1948
C.T. Loo, INC. ca. 1948-no later than July 1953
C.T. Loo Chinese Art 1953-1961

Published References
  • C.T. Loo & Company, (Introduction) Lindsay Hughes Cooper. An Exhibition of Archaic Chinese Jades. Exh. cat. New York. plate XVIII, no. 5.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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