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Catalog Data

Medium:
Jade (nephrite) imported from the northeast
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 3.2 × 3.2 × 0.9 cm (1 1/4 × 1 1/4 × 3/8 in)
Type:
Jewelry and Ornament
Origin:
Anyang, probably Henan province, China
Date:
ca. 1250-ca. 1050 BCE
Period:
Late Shang dynasty, Anyang period
Description:
Curled dragon; open center; few incised details; translucent light green. (Nicks on ears.)
Provenance:
To 1948
Zhang Naiji (1899–1948), Shanghai, China then New York, NY [1]
1948 to 1954
Zhang Mei Chien (1901–c.1955), New York, NY inherited upon her husband’s death [2]
1954 to 1963
J. T. Tai & Company, New York, NY purchased from ZHANG Mei Chien in July 1954 in New York, NY [3]
1963 to 1987
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, New York, NY purchased from J. T. Tai & Company on May 15, 1963 in New York, NY [4]
From 1987
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler on September 11, 1987 [5]
Notes:
[1] Zhang Naiji (N.C. Chang) lent the object to Archaic Chinese Jades: Special Exhibition (Philadelphia: The University Museum, February 1940), cat. 113 (ill.). The find-site of this object is not noted.
Zhang (also known as N. C. Chang) was a businessman, born to a prestigious family in Zhejiang that made their wealth in the silk and salt industries. He collected ancient Chinese art objects and Chinese coins. Zhang amassed his collection whilst living in Shanghai, before leaving for America in 1938, and acquired his objects onsite of archeological excavations (see: Alfred Salmony, Chinese Jade through the Wei Dynasty. New York: The Ronald Press Company, 1963: 115.).
Zhang lent his collection anonymously to Archaic Chinese Jades: Special Exhibition. We know his identity through letters housed in the Department of Archives, The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (see: letter, C. T. Loo to Horace Jayne, 25 October 1939 and letter, from C. T. Loo to Horace Jayne, 16 December 1939), copies in F|S COM provenance files. The exhibition was entirely organized by C. T. Loo & Company, New York. Letters exchanged between C. T. Loo and the director of The University Museum, Mr. Horace H.F. Jayne, reveal that Zhang Naiji owned the objects and C. T. Loo & Company had the collection on consignment (see: letter, from C. T. Loo to Horace Jayne, 28 May 1939 and letter, from C. T. Loo to Horace Jayne, 23 October 1940, copies on COM provenance files). C. T. Loo & Company kept the jade collection on consignment from 1940 through Zhang’s death in 1948, inventorying the pieces with a prefix “J” and labeling each item as “Chang Collection.”
[2] ZHANG Mei Chien, Zhang Naiji’s wife, assumed ownership upon his death in 1948. She sold several pieces from her husband’s collection to J. T. Tai & Company in July 1954 (for example, see J. T. Tai & Company Stock Record YT 886 and YT 895, copies in COM provenance files).
[3] J. T. Tai & Company, New York stock number YT 1011, see J. T. Tai & Company invoice to Arthur M. Sackler, 5/15/1963, copy in object file and in F|S COM provenance files.
[4] See note 3.
[5] Pursuant to the agreement between Dr. 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.
Collection:
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Exhibition History:
Anyang: China's Ancient City of Kings (February 25, 2023 to April 28, 2024)
The Arts of China (November 18, 1990 to September 7, 2014)
In Praise of Ancestors: Ritual Objects from China (September 28, 1987 to January 1, 1989)
Archaic Chinese Jades, Special Exhibition (February 1940)
Previous custodian or owner:
Zhang Naiji 張乃驥 (1899-1948)
Zhang Mei Chien (1900-1998)
J. T. Tai & Co. (established in 1950)
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)
Topic:
carving  Search this
jade  Search this
nephrite  Search this
dragon  Search this
Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1300 - 1050 BCE)  Search this
China  Search this
Chinese Art  Search this
Credit Line:
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Accession Number:
S1987.583
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
On View:
Sackler Gallery 23b: Anyang: China's Ancient City of Kings
Related Online Resources:
Google Cultural Institute
Jades for Life and Death
See more items in:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3d73b4140-0a4a-4d41-bf20-6cd90703c3bd
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:fsg_S1987.583