Skip to main content

Search

Donate

Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Timed-Entry Passes
    • Tips & Guidelines
    • Accessibility
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current Exhibitions
      • Upcoming
      • Past Exhibitions
      • Online Exhibitions
    • Today's Events
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX Films
  • Explore & Learn
    • Explore Interests
      • Art & Design
      • History & Culture
      • Science & Nature
      • Blogs
      • Mobile Apps
      • Podcasts
    • Collections
      • Open Access
      • Smithsonian Snapshot
    • For Educators
      • Resources
      • Field Trips
      • Events
      • Professional Development
    • For Kids and Teens
    • Youth Programs
    • For Researchers
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Freer|Sackler Archives
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries and Special Collections
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Citizen Science
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Visitor Information Specialist
      • Docent Programs
    • Fellowships & Internships
    • Work with Us
      • Human Resources
        • Working Here
        • Employee Benefits
        • Job Opportunities
        • How to Apply
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • Contact Us
      • Affiliations
      • Global Partners
  • Support
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Your Membership
    • Give Monthly
  • About
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Research Centers
    • Cultural Centers
    • Education
    • Our Leadership
      • Secretary Bunch
      • Assistant Secretary for Advancement
      • Assistant Secretary for Communications and External Affairs
      • Under Secretary for Administration
      • Under Secretary for Education
      • Under Secretary for Museums and Culture
      • Under Secretary for Science and Research
    • Our Organization
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Contact
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
      • Inspector General
        • About the OIG
        • Contact OIG
        • Office of Audits
        • Office of Investigations
        • Reports and Other Publications
        • Report Waste, Fraud, Abuse
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Records Request Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Equal Employment Office
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Special Emphasis Program
        • Supplier Diversity Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Policies and Procedures
          • Additional Resources
          • Goals and Accomplishments
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
        • One Smithsonian
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

Pendant in the form of a bat

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Addthis Share Tools

    • Print

Object Details

Previous custodian or owner
Zhang Naiji 張乃驥 (1899-1948)
Zhang Mei Chien (1900-1998)
C.T. Loo Chinese Art (1953 - 1961)
Frank Caro Chinese Art (1962-1980)
J.T. Tai & Co. (established in 1950)
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)
Provenance
As early as 1928
Likely discovered in Anyang, Honan Province, China. [1]
To 1948
Zhang Naiji (1899–1948), Shanghai, China then New York, NY [2]
1948 to around 1954
Zhang Mei Chien (1901–c.1955), New York, NY inherited upon her husband’s death [3]
Possibly around 1954 to 1961
C.T. Loo Chinese Art, New York, NY likely purchased from Zhang Mei Chien in New York, NY [4]
Possibly from 1961 to 1964
Frank Caro Chinese Art, New York, NY, mode of acquisition unknown [5]
Possibly from around 1954 to 1960s
J.T. Tai & Company, New York, NY possibly purchased from Zhang Mei Chien in New York, NY [6]
At least by 1986 to 1987
Arthur M. Sackler, New York, NY, purchased from either C.T. Loo & Company or J.T. Tai & Company in New York, NY [7]
From 1987
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Arthur M. Sackler, September 11, 1987 [8]
Notes:
[1] Discovery site noted in Archaic Chinese Jades: Special Exhibition (Philadelphia: The University Museum, February 1940), cat. 139. Excavations at Anyang began in 1928.
[2] Zhang Naiji (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.”
[3] Zhang Mei Chien, Zhang Naiji’s wife, assumed ownership upon his death in 1948. She sold several pieces from her husband’s collection to both C.T. Loo & Company and J.T. Tai & Company. She sold 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). It is unclear when C.T. Loo Chinese Art purchased items from Zhang Mei Chien.
[4] On September 1, 1952, C.T. Loo’s associate, Frank Caro (1904-1980) took over daily operations of C.T. Loo & Company, New York, operating at 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.
[5] 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 acquired several ancient jades from C.T. Loo Chinese Art and sold them to Dr. Sackler in the 1960s (for example, see: S1987.668 and S1987.644).
On August 27, 1964, Frank Caro Chinese Art sold Arthur M. Sackler nearly 50 jades with Zhang provenance. Arthur M. Sackler inventoried these objects with his own number system, labeling this object as J-1043. This object falls within a group of other jades that were purchased on August 27, 1964. It is possible S1987.689 came into Arthur M. Sackler’s collection on that day. It is possible that this object is the one that C.T. Loo and Frank Caro inventoried as “J-95: Archaic jade pendent in stylized bird form. Eastern Chou. Lt. 1- ½ ins. (Chang Collection).” See Invoice from Frank Caro, Chinese Art to Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, dated August 27, 1964, copy in object file.
[6] J.T. Tai & Company sold several jades from Zhang’s collection to Arthur M. Sackler (for example, see: S1987.653 and S 1987.607).
Several of J.T. Tai & Company stock records also document the company’s sales of Zhang jades to Arthur M. Sackler (for example, see J.T. Tai & Company Stock Record YT 886 and YT 895, copies in COM provenance files).
[7] This object was inventoried by conservators of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in 1986. It was part of Arthur M. Sackler’s foundational 1987 gift to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.
[8] 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.
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
ca. 1300-1050 BCE
Period
Late Shang dynasty
Accession Number
S1987.689
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Jade
Jewelry and Ornament
Medium
Jade (nephrite) with traces of cinnabar
Dimensions
H x W x D: 3 x 4.2 x 1.2 cm (1 3/16 x 1 5/8 x 1/2 in)
Origin
Anyang, Henan province, China
Related Online Resources
Google Cultural Institute
See more items in
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Topic
Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1300 - 1050 BCE)
bat
China
Chinese Art
nephrite
carving
incising
WWII-era provenance
Record ID
fsg_S1987.689
Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3b83c487e-7ec8-4a4f-980a-25f7f2ea38a4

Related Content

  • Bats

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Press Room
  • Employment
  • Host Your Event
  • Access Smithsonian
  • EEO & Supplier Diversity
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Email signup form

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
Back to Top