Plaque in the form of addorsed dragons with dragon interlace

Object Details

Provenance

1938

W. Burchard, London [1]

To 1959

Abel William Bahr (1877-1959), Ridgefield, Connecticut [2]

From 1959 to 1960

Edna H. Bahr (d. 1978), by descent from her father, Abel William Bahr [3]

From 1960 to 1997

Paul Singer (1904-1997), Summit, New Jersey, purchased from Edna H. Bahr in 1960 [4]

From 1997

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, bequeathed by Paul Singer [5]

Notes:

[1] See Exhibition of Gold and Silver in Early Chinese Art (London: W. Burchard, November –December 1938), cat. 1 (ill.).

According to the catalogue’s foreword, the objects in the exhibition, including RLS1997.48.4508, had been collected in China during the previous year.

[2] Paul Singer’s acquisition of the plaque from Edna Bahr, the daughter of Abel W. Bahr, was mentioned in his correspondence with Henry Trubner and Zheng Dekun, see letter from Henry Trubner to Singer, dated June 21, 1960 and letter from Zheng Dekun to Singer, dated 24 July, 1960, Paul Singer Papers, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

The collector Abel W. Bahr was born in Shanghai and lived in China until about 1911, when he moved first to London, then to New York, Montreal, and eventually Ridgefield, Connecticut.

[3] See note 1.

[4] See note 1. Singer discussed the circumstances of the plaque’s acquisition from the Bahr collection in his memoirs completed in February 1993, see Paul Singer, “Reminiscences of a Transient Custodian,” ms., Paul Singer Papers, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives, p. 106-108. Shortly after the acquisition the plaque was exhibited and published in Emma Bunker, The Art of Eastern Chou (New York, The Chinese Society of America, 1962), cat. 20. Subsequently, it was reproduced in a catalogue of the Singer collection published on occasion of the exhibition curated by Max Loehr in 1965 and in a catalogue of the exhibition organized by Singer in 1972, see M. Loehr, Relics of Ancient China (New York 1965), cat. 53 (ill.); Early Chinese Gold and Silver (New York: China Institute in America, 1972), cat. 2 (ill.). The collection of Chinese art and antiquities assembled by Paul Singer over time was purchased by him on behalf of Dr. 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 Dr. Arthur M. Sackler.

[5] Upon Paul Singer’s death in January 1997, his collection was transferred to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery by order of the Executors of the Estate under a loan agreement signed on February 1997. Shortly thereafter, the Sackler Gallery was vested with full ownership and title to the collection in full agreement by the Sackler Foundations and Sackler family members. The formal accession of the Singer collection was completed in 2012.

Collection

Arthur M. Sackler Collection

Exhibition History

One Man’s Search for Ancient China: The Paul Singer Collection (January 19 to July 7, 2013)

Chu Symposium exhibition 1990 (April 18 - May 16, 1990)

Previous custodian or owner

Abel William Bahr (1877-1959)

Edna H. Bahr (1907-1986)

Dr. Paul Singer (1904-1997)

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

6th-5th century BCE

Period

Eastern Zhou dynasty, Spring and Autumn period-early Warring States period

Accession Number

S2012.9.2076

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Jewelry and Ornament

Medium

Bronze with gold foil

Dimensions

H x W x D (overall): 13.1 x 9.5 x 0.1 cm (5 3/16 x 3 3/4 x 1/16 in)

Origin

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

casting

repoussé

metal

bronze

dragon

Eastern Zhou dynasty (770 - 221 BCE)

Spring and Autumn period (770 - 476 BCE)

Warring States period (475 - 221 BCE)

China

Chinese Art

The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Record ID

fsg_S2012.9.2076

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3b04f3470-25cb-4862-8740-2b718eee30a1