Jades for Life and Death

Classification: Jewelry and Ornament

Historical period(s): Warring States period, Late Eastern Zhou dynasty, 4th-3rd century BCE

Object Date: 4th-3rd century BCE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D: 13.2 x 1.8 x 2.3 cm (5 3/16 x 11/16 x 7/8 in)

Origin: China

Credit Line: Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

Collection: Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Accession Number: F1948.13

Provenance: To 1943
Yamanaka & Company, New York, to January 1943 [1]

From 1943 to 1948
C. T. Loo & Company, New York, purchased from Yamanaka & Company in January 1943 [2]

From 1948
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from C. T. Loo & Company on July 14, 1948 [3]

Notes:

[1] See C. T. Loo's stockcard no. NYL-43/482: "Jade buckle. Finely carved buckle in a yellowish ivory colour covered with a field of small coils and a finely penciled abstract motif on each side and terminated with horned dragon's head. Late Chou," C. T. Loo & Frank Caro Archive, Musée Guimet, Paris, copy in object file. According to an annotation on the stockcard, the object was purchased from Yamanaka & Company.

[2] See C. T. Loo's stockcard cited in note 1. On June 1, 1944, the object was taken by Loo to the Freer Gallery for examination.

[3] See C. T. Loo's invoice, dated July 14, 1948, copy in object file.

Previous owner(s): Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965)
C.T. Loo & Company (1914-1948)

Curatorial Remarks

1. Bought from C.T. Loo and Company, New York. For price, see Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920.

2. (T. Lawton, 1978) Late Eastern Chou, Warring States period.

3. (T. Lawton, 1982, from an exhibition catalogue). The front of the slender cream-colored body of the garment hook is ornamented with finely modeled spirals, enclosed within a plain convex border. The regularity of the arrangement of the spirals -- in precise diagonal and horizontal rows -- is counterbalanced by lines that occasionally link two of them. Delicate curvilinear and crosshatched designs appear on the sides of the hook and bottom of the oval button. A horned animal head in high relief serves as a finial. Simplicity of shape and subtlety of ornamentation enhance the elegance of this piece.

4. (J. Smith per Keith Wilson, 7/1/2008) Jewelry added as secondary classification.

5. (S. Allee, 10 November 2008) Changed Title from "Belt hook (garment hook), Dai Gou" to "Belt hook (daigou)." Added Dimensions from Jade Project Database, measured by Christine Lee.

6. (J. Smith per Keith Wilson, 3/10/2010) Late Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period; title: Belt hook (daigou) with raised knobs.

7. (S. Kitsoulis, 6 May 2010 per Keith Wilson) Title changed from "Belt hook (daigou) with raised knobs" to "Garment hook (gou)"; object name from "Jewelry (belt hook)" to "Garment hook."

Published References: Published References are currently unavailable.

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Garment hook (daigou)

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