Tubular head ornament

Armlet (?) irregular cylinder; flared at one end, one side elongated; undecorated; translucent yellow-green. (Interior cracks; chips one end.)

Maker(s)
Artist: Forgery in the style of the Neolithic Hongshan culture 紅山 (ca. 3800-ca. 2700 BCE)
Historical period(s)
Late Neolithic period, 20th century
Medium
Jade (nephrite)
Dimensions
H x W: 14.6 x 9.5 cm (5 3/4 x 3 3/4 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1987.626
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Jade, Jewelry and Ornament
Type

Head ornament

Keywords
China, forgery, Late Neolithic period (ca. 5000 - ca. 1700 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 & Company [2]

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

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

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

Notes:

[1] Frank Caro Chinese Art sold this object to Arthur M. Sackler on August 27, 1964 (see note 3) and the inventory assigned to this object, E 5836 reveals that it was part of the C. T. Loo, INC. inventory. 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. Caro assigned new inventory numbers to C. T. Loo & Company’s stock, assigning numbers with an “E” prefix. This object was included in that inventory process

[2] See note 1. 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). Frank Caro Chinese Art stock no. E 5790, "Jade pendent (Jade Cat. Pl. 44 #2)," see invoice from Frank Caro Chinese Art to Arthur M. Sackler, August 27, 1964, copy in object file.

[3] Frank Caro Chinese Art inventory number E 5836: “Jade sleeve weight, greenish jade with streaks Ht. 5 7-8 ins. Diam 3 ¾ ins. Oval shape and slightly conical towards the top. Late Chou,” see invoice from Frank Caro Chinese Art to Arthur M. Sackler, August 27, 1964, 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

Armlet (?) irregular cylinder; flared at one end, one side elongated; undecorated; translucent yellow-green. (Interior cracks; chips one end.)

Published References
  • J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
  • Elizabeth Childs-Johnson, Fang Gu. Yuqi shidai: Meiguo bowuguan cang Zhongguo zaoqi yuqi [The Jade Age: Early Chinese Jades in American Museums]. Beijing, 2009. p. 32.
  • Dr. Paul Singer. Chinese Art: A Thousand Masterpieces from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections. Washington, 2000. p. 62.
  • et al. Asian Art in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery: The Inaugural Gift. Washington, 1987. cat. 32a, p. 76.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Jades for Life and Death
Google Cultural Institute
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