Page 148 - C.T. Loo A paper about his impact and activities in the Chinese art Market

148

Pelliot observed in the introduction that Chinese catalogues offered valuable information

from the philological and epigraphical point of view, but they lacked accurate

reproductions of the object (Tch’ou and Pelliot 1924, Introduction). The emphasis on the

form and image of the object was reflected in the organization of the catalogue. The two

most noticeable places in the catalogue were occupied by objects with forms that were

immediately recognizable to Western viewers. The owl-shaped vessel was placed in the

first plate, and a statue of a human figure the last. 306 The emphasis on the formal quality

of these bronzes was also reflected in the descriptive text. While description in Chinese

native catalogues often contains the dimensions, weight and a brief description of the

307
object’s form mostly for identification purpose (Fig. 45), Loo’s 1924 catalogue

merchandised their attractive appearance. The owl-shaped vessel, for example, was

described with highly evocative words such as, “turquoise colour throughout” (Tch’ou

and Pelliot 1924, 10), “The precious red stones are inlaid in the eyes…there is a life-like

appearance…” (Tch’ou and Pelliot 1924, 9). The eye-catching quality of this vessel is

evident in its appearance in the Art News report/advertisement for Loo bronze collection

308
and exhibition (Fig. 16).

The research materials created around 1939 for the wine vessel yu in the Franck Caro

Archive offer another example of how Loo ingeniously combined Chinese and Western,

306
The Chinese Buddhist deity Guanyin.
307 The description for this bronze yu in the catalogue of the Qing dynasty imperial
collection Xi qing gu jia reads, “(The image on the) right, the height (of the bronze)
including the lid is 9 cun 2 fen, the depth is 5 cun 8 fen, the diameter (the shorter one) is 3
cun 5 fen, the diameter (the longer one) is 4 cun 6 fen. The fuwei is 1 chi 9 cun 6 fen. The
weight is 115 liang. It has two ears and a handle.” (Lawton 1991, 14)
308 “Diplomat Buys an Ancient Chinese Bronze,” Art News, December 13, 1924, see
Chapter One, p.57-8.