Object: Ornament in the form of a female dancer S2012.9.2755

Classification: Jewelry and Ornament

Historical period(s): Warring States period, Eastern Zhou dynasty or Western Han Dynasty, 475 BCE-9 CE

Object Date: 475 BCE-9 CE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D (overall): 9 x 3.8 x 0.2 cm (3 9/16 x 1 1/2 x 1/16 in)

Origin: China

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

Collection: Arthur M. Sackler Collection

Accession Number: S2012.9.2755

: 女舞人飾
東周戰國或西漢時期（公元前475--公元9年）
中國
軟玉
高9、寬3.8、厚0.2釐米
史密森博物學院亞瑟·M·賽克勒美術館保羅·辛格中國藝術收藏品；亞瑟·M·賽克勒基金會，保羅·辛格，AMS基金會，及亞瑟·M·賽克勒子女聯合贈送
器物編號： S2012.9.2755

Provenance: ?-1952
David David-Weill (1871-1952), Paris and Neuilly-sur-Seine France, mode of acquisition unknown [1]

1952-1970
Flora Raphaël David-Weill (1878-1970), inherited upon death of her husband, David David-Weill [2]

1970-1972  
Descendants of David and Flora Raphaël David-Weill, inherited upon death of Flora Raphaël David-Weill in 1970 [3] 

1972
Sale, Sotheby's & Co., "The D. David-Weill Collection, Catalogue of Early Chinese Bronzes, Inlaid Metalwork, Gilt Bronzes and Silver, Jades, Sculpture and Ceramics," February 29, 1972 (London), lot. 46 [4]

1972-1997
Dr. Paul Singer (1904-1997), Summit, NJ purchased through Mr. Payne at "D. David-Weill Collection Sale," on March 15, 1972 [5]

From 1997
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, bequeathed by Dr. Paul Singer [6]

Notes:

[1] David David-Weill's ownership is indicated by the object's inclusion in the 1972 Sotheby's & Co. sale (see note 4).

David David-Weill (1871-1952) was an American-born, French banker and chairman of Lazard Frères, his family's bank headquartered in Paris. From 1925 to 1939 he was president of the council of French National Museums and, until 1938, the vice president of the Friends of the Louvre. David-Weill was a life-long, prolific collector, acquiring a broad range of objects including 18th-century French art, ancient Chinese bronzes and jades, silvers, and European and Chinese cloisonné. He lent 12 objects from his collection to International Exhibition of Chinese Art at the Royal Academy of London (1935-36) and several objects to the exhibition Arts de la Chine Ancienne at Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris (1937). During his lifetime, he donated numerous art works to French Museums. In 1937 David-Weill sold pieces from his European collection to Wildenstein & Company. During World War 2, Nazis plundered his collection and seized over 2000 objects, most of which were restituted after the War. Parts of David-Weill's collections were hidden and escaped Nazi seizure. It is unclear if this object was stolen by the Nazis. If it was, it was restituted to the family, as it was in their possession through 1972.

[2] David David-Weill died on July 7, 1952 in Neuilly, France. His wife, Flora Raphaël David-Weill inherited the object.

[3] See note 2; upon death of Flora Raphaël David-Weill, a Sotheby sale was organized. It does not specify who collected the profits, but it was likely the family.

[4] See Sotheby & Co., The D. David-Weill Collection: Catalogue of Early Chinese Bronzes, Inlaid Metalwork, Gilt Bronzes and Silver, Jades, and Sculpture and Ceramics (London, February 29, 1972), lot 46.

[5] See letter from C.M. Payne to Dr. Paul Singer, 1 March 1972 and invoice from Sotheby & Co., London to Dr. Paul Singer, 15 March 1972, no. 161, page 4, copies in object file. C.M. Payne of the Sales Office at Sotheby & Co., London placed bids on behalf of Dr. Paul Singer at the February 1972 auction.

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 Arthur M. Sackler Foundation for the Arts, Sciences and Humanities and later was transferred to the children of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler.

[6] 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.

Previous owner(s): David David-Weill (1871-1952)
Flora Raphaël David-Weill (1878-1971)
David-Weill Family
Dr. Paul Singer (1904-1997)

Curatorial Remarks

1. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, June 19, 2008) Primary classification: Sculpture; secondary classification: Jade.
2. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, April 11, 2023) Title changed from "Plaque of dancer" to "Ornament in the form of a female dancer"; Period One changed from "Eastern Zhou dynasty" to "Eastern Zhou dynasty or Western Han Dynasty"; added Period Two as "Warring States period"; Date changed from "3rd century BCE" to "475 BCE–9 CE"; added Chinese caption, and Unpublished Research.
3. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, November 26, 2024) Classification changed from "Sculpture" to "Jewelry and Ornament" and Object Name changed from "Figure: woman" to "Ornament."

Unpublished Research: Draft catalogue entry (no. 370) for S2012.9.2755 for the catalogue of the Singer collection (1970--90); by Jenny F. So
Dancer Plaque
Eastern Zhou 周 dynasty, Warring States period, 3rd century BCE
Jade
Height 9 cm (3 1/2 in)
With one sleeved arm raised above the head, the other sleeve draped across the front of the body, the female figure assumes the standard dancing pose. There is merely a hint of a swayed hip. The wrapped, ankle length robe is stiffly marked with incised lines to suggest folds, while details on the sleeves are rendered with crosshatching and wide fluting. The borders of the sleeves and robe are defined by short, straight strokes. The hair is parted down the center, slightly domed at the crown, and flipped at the shoulders. The facial features are schematically incised. The dancer's long pigtail trailing down to the waist appears at the back of the plaque. A short, rectangular tab projects from the bottom of the skirt. This figure is cut thinly from a pale, grayish white jade, which has not altered; the surface is somewhat pitted.
This dancer plaque closely parallels in style and quality two pairs of plaques in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. [1]
[1] See Thomas Lawton, Chinese Art of the Warring States Period: Change and Community, 480--222 B.C. (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1982), cat. nos. 78-79.

Published References

Sotheby's. The D. David-Weill Collection: Catalogue of Early Chinese Bronzes, Inlaid Metalwork, Gilt Bronzes and Silver, Jades, and Sculpture and Ceramics. London, February 29, 1972. lot 46.

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Ornament in the form of a female dancer

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