Object: Pendant in the form of an archer’s ring with incised linked curls S1987.636

Classification: Jewelry and Ornament

Historical period(s): Western Han dynasty, 206 BCE-9 CE

Object Date: 206 BCE-9 CE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D: 6.6 x 3 x 0.5 cm (2 5/8 x 1 3/16 x 3/16 in)

Origin: China, Probably Henan province, Jincun

Credit Line: Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

Collection: Arthur M. Sackler Collection

Accession Number: S1987.636

: 凹面連體谷紋扳指形佩
西漢時期（公元前206-公元9年）
中國，疑似河南金村出土
軟玉
高6.6、寬3、厚0.5釐米
亞瑟·M·賽克勒贈送
器物編號：S1987.636

Provenance: 1928-1932
Purportedly discovered in tomb located in Henan province, Jincun, China [1]

To 1964
Frank Caro Chinese Art, New York, NY, mode and source of acquisition unknown [2]

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

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

Notes:

[1] Discovery site noted as Chin ts’un [Jincun] on invoice from Frank Caro Chinese Art to Arthur M. Sackler, 27 August 1964, copy located in accession file. Several tombs near Chin ts’un (Jincun) in Western Henan were discovered in the summer of 1928 after heavy rain, when sinkholes began to emerge. Immediately upon discovery, the tombs were heavily scavenged by locals. Only two tombs were systematically excavated (See William Charles White, Tombs of Old Lo Yang: A Record of the Construction and Contents of a Group of Royal Tombs at Chin ts’un, Probably Dating to 550 B.C. [Shanghai: Kelly and Walsh Limited, 1934]; and William Charles White, “China’s Cultural Heritage,” in Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada 37 [1943]: 151).

[2] See invoice from Frank Caro Chinese Art to Arthur M. Sackler, 27 August 1964, describes this object as FC 2395: “Archaic jade pendant. Hook shaped pick, finely carved Translucent. From Chin ts’un [Jincun]. Eastern Chou [Zhou]. Lt: 2 5/8 ins.” A Glass negative of image located at the C. T. Loo and Frank Caro Archive, Musée Guimet, Paris, #127.

Frank Caro Chinese Art, owned by Frank Caro, opened sometime in 1961. Frank Caro had been the business associated of C. T. Loo, the famed Chinese art dealer who operated C. T. Loo and Company and then C. T. Loo, INC.,
through 1951. On September 1, 1952, Frank Caro (1904–1980) took over daily operations of the New York business, 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. Although Loo died in 1947, the agreement continued to 1961. Upon the conclusion of their agreement, Frank Caro opened Frank Caro Chinese Art, New York. Objects that Frank Caro acquired while operating his own business were typically inventoried with an “FC” stock number; it is likely that Caro acquired this object after 1961, when he became an independent dealer.

[3] Arthur M. Sackler purchased this jade from Frank Caro Chinese Art on August 27, 1964, see note 3.

[4] 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): Frank Caro Chinese Art (1962-1980)
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)

Curatorial Remarks

1. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 1, 2008) "Jewelry" added as secondary classification.
2. (Susan Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson, July 10, 2010) Object Name changed from "Pendant: shield shaped" to "Jewelry"; Title changed from "Pendant (xi 觿): shield shaped" to "Shield shaped pendant (xi 觿)."
3. (Jeffrey Smith per Matthew Clarke, July 25, 2022) Medium changed from Jade to Jade (nephrite).
4. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, August 25, 2023) Title changed from "Shield-Shaped Pendant (xi)" to "Pendant in the form of an archer’s ring with incised linked curls"; Period One changed from "Eastern Zhou to Western Han dynasty" to "Western Han dynasty"; Date changed from "3rd-1st century BCE" to "206 BCE–9 CE"; Geography type Origin changed from "China" to "Jincun, probably Henan province, China"; and added Chinese caption by Jingmin Zhang.

Published References: Published References are currently unavailable.

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Pendant in the form of an archer’s ring with incised linked curls

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