Page 106 - C.T. Loo A paper about his impact and activities in the Chinese art Market

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them please kindly let me know.” 221 Similarly, Loo responded to the RISD’s inquiry for a

fresco in his 1949 exhibition of Song murals with a tantalizing note. He mentioned that

222
there have been several demands for this piece, “…(we) have already sent out plates to

some other museums so I dare not even reserve this fresco for you, although my personal

idea is that this particular fresco will answer more the needs of the students of your

school of designs than any other museum”. 223 Loo’s ingenious use of the museum rivalry

expedited the UPM’s decision to purchase the two stone relief panels (Fig. 20 a,b). Zhou

Xiuqing observed, “When Gordon expressed difficulties in obtaining bank loans to secure

the purchase, Loo immediately followed with a letter urging UPM to give ‘the less

important one’ (the relief without the man) to a museum in Boston which had received a

large bequest for collection purchase (letter dated 25 and 28 November 1918 from Loo to

Gordon). This letter alerted the museum, and accordingly the Board of Managers made

an immediate decision to authorize fund-raising of up to US $ 150,000 for the purchase

of the two horses.” (Zhou 2001, 44) 224

While often on the demand end, the museum, in some cases, turned to the supply end

in its contact with the dealer. The Art Institute of Chicago, for example, sold Loo a

Kangxi vase in 1945. Exchanges were among the transactions that occurred between C.

221 C. T. Loo to E. J. Holmes, December 19, 1928, folder: C. T. Loo, box: L to M, 1927-
1930, AAOA-MFA.
222
C. T. Loo & Co. to RISD, March 11, 1949, folder 1945-1949, RISDA.
223 Recalling Joseph Duveen’s selling techniques, Loo’s response might also exert a
psychological charm on his prospective clients. His initial decline might even enhance
their desire to acquire the works they inquired. According to one of Duveen’s clients,
Mrs. Hearst, “you couldn’t buy anything from Duveen! Everything was either in reserve
for somebody else or he had promised it to his wife or for some reason he wasn’t ready to
sell it yet.” (Behrman1951, 96)
224 Gordon refers to George B. Gordon.