Page 210 - C.T. Loo A paper about his impact and activities in the Chinese art Market

210

the Record of Ceremonies in the History of the Sui Dynasty (Sui shu) 隋书, jade-wheel

clasps are mentioned. Her upper garment is a light blue colour with a dark blue border to

the collar. The lower garment is a light red skirt.” (Kwen 1916, Cat. no. 1)

The description was followed by the curious tale of the money-counting magic

performed by this women in the Shun-I Records (Shu yi ji ) 述异记. “In her right hand

she is holding a copper cash and also carrying a bamboo basket in which are books, while

in the left hand she has five copper cash; and encircling her arm near the cuff is a

rosary…(She) displayed great skill in counting copper cash; she would pick up one cash

with her figures (sic. fingers) and then give the correct number in the whole lot” (Kwen

1916, Cat, no. 1). An understanding of the background of the intended audience of this

catalogue reveals an added appeal of this miracle-working Chinese lady. This collection

was assembled for Charles L. Freer, the retired railroad car manufacture magnate, and his

fellow collectors (Kwen 1916, An Appreciation). For American industrialists like Freer,

the allure of this Chinese lady lay not only in her sensuality and decorative splendor, but

also in her symbolism of exoticism and wealth.

Taking this catalogue as a whole, although the number of paintings of women was

410
seven out of the sixty entries, the importance of works with female subject matter was

apparent. The first ten entries in the catalogue, for example, contain four portraits of

410 The statistics include 2 leaves in 2 albums (Kwen 1916, Cat. no 58, 59). The album is
counted as one entry.