Lidded incense burner (<em>xianglu</em>) with geometric decoration and narrative scenes
date: label: Date
content: ca. 2nd century BCE
label: Period
content: Early Western Han dynasty
notes: label: Provenance
content: Before 1947
label: Provenance
content: Jun Tsei Tai (1911-1992), Shanghai, China to February 1949 then New York, NY [1]
label: Provenance
content: 1947
label: Provenance
content: Lu Wu Antiques Co., Shanghai, China purchased from Jun Tsei Tai in Shanghai [2]
label: Provenance
content: February 1947
label: Provenance
content: C. T. Loo & Company, New York, by transfer from Lu Wu Antiquities Co. in February 1947 in Shanghai, China [3]
label: Provenance
content: From July 1947
label: Provenance
content: Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from C. T. Loo & Company in July 1947 [4]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] Jun Tsei Tai (more commonly known in the West as J. T. Tai), known also as Dai Fubao in Shanghai, was an incredibly successful art dealer who was initially based in Shanghai China. Tai became one of C. T. Loo's most prolific suppliers in the 1940s. In 1949, however, J. T. Tai fled with his family to Hong Kong, when Communist leaders came into power. In 1950, he immigrated to New York City, where he established J. T. Tai & Company, a successful company that specialized in the sale of Chinese arts.
label: Provenance
content: See C. T. Loo's stock card no. NYL-7/982: "Bronze hill-censer on a wide spreading foot with three dragons in relief inlaid with gold, silver and various stones. Body decorated with bands of abstract motives in gold, silver with turquoise and rubies. Cover with fine rows of hills with hunting scenes, fighting animals and birds in gold, silver and hard stones inlaid, many stones missing Late Chou," copy in object file. The card states that this object came from J. T. Tai.
label: Provenance
content: [2] Lu Wu was an export business that supplied C. T. Loo & Company, New York and Paris with Chinese objects. Loo formed this company in 1926. The name, Lu Wu combines the names of C. T. Loo and Wu Qi Zhou, Lu Wu's primary associates. The business acquired objects from across China, but everything passed through Shanghai before being sent to France. Zhou and Laio would send all acquisitions to Shanghai, where Wu packaged and shipped them to France. J. T. Tai (see note 1) began working with Lu Wu around 1938. Tai operated Fuyun zhai guwandian, a shop with a large inventory in Shanghai.
label: Provenance
content: [3] See C. T. Loo & Company stock card cited in note 1.
label: Provenance
content: [4] See C. T. Loo & Company invoice, date July 8, 1947, copy in object file.
label: Provenance
content: Research updated January 25, 2022.
label: Collection
content: Freer Gallery of Art Collection
label: Exhibition History
content: Art and Industry: China’s Houma Foundry (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Mountains of Immortality: A Focused Look (April 2 to September 25, 2005)
label: Exhibition History
content: Clay and Metal: Ancient Chinese Ceramics and Metal (February 25, 1997 to August 9, 2011)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Metalwork (May 9, 1993 to March 21, 1997)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Art (February 18, 1983 to April 1, 1987)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Art (March 15, 1982 to June 15, 1982)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)
label: Exhibition History
content: Chinese Bronze, Jade, Metalwork (March 1, 1957 to January 1, 1963)
label: Exhibition History
content: Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 14 and 15 (February 25, 1956 to March 1, 1957)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Art, 1955 (August 26, 1955 to October 25, 1955)
label: Exhibition History
content: Untitled Exhibition, Ancient Chinese Art, 1946 (May 7, 1946 to February 25, 1956)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Jun Tsei Tai 戴潤齋 (1911-1992)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: C. T. Loo 盧芹齋 (1880-1957)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Lu Wu Antiques Co. 盧吳古玩公司 (1911-ca. 1949)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: C. T. Loo & Company (1914-1948)
place: label: Origin
content: Henan or Hebei province, China
topic: label: Topic
content: casting
label: Topic
content: inlay (process)
label: Topic
content: metal
label: Topic
content: bronze
label: Topic
content: animal
label: Topic
content: landscape
label: Topic
content: Daoism
label: Topic
content: Western Han dynasty (206 BCE - 9 CE)
label: Topic
content: incense
label: Topic
content: China
label: Topic
content: Chinese Art
setName: label: On View
content: West Building (Freer Gallery of Art), Gallery 18: Art and Industry: China's Ancient Houma Foundry
label: Related Online Resources
content: Google Arts & Culture
label: See more items in
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: F1947.15a-b
objectType: label: Type
content: Vessel
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Bronze with gold, silver, turquoise, and carnelian inlay
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 17.9 x 10 cm (7 1/16 x 3 15/16 in)