Page 85 - C.T. Loo A paper about his impact and activities in the Chinese art Market

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field. Loo was called by the press as “eminent expert”, “Orientalist”, and

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“archeologist”. The dealer could ask his fellow dealers to authenticate pieces in
question. In 1915, after the dealer Edgar Gorer submitted a yellow porcelain vase to John

D. Rockefeller, Jr., different opinions about its authenticity arose among New York

dealers. Gorer then showed the vase to C. T. Loo and D. Ushikubo from Yamanaka &

Co. to prove its genuineness. After receiving their verification, Gorer wrote to

Rockefeller, “On Saturday, I consulted two Chinese dealers; namely, Mr. Loo and Mr.

Kuan Fu-Ts’u, men of the very greatest experience in Old Chinese porcelains…” 156

Competition

In the antique business that relied heavily on secretive and exclusive operations, co-

existence and closeness also meant competition among dealers for the limited sources of

supply, clients, publicity, and profits. In Freer’s trip to China in 1909, “Chinese dealers

flocked to his rooms in the Tartar City in response to his inquiries about early Chinese

paintings.” (Lawton 1993, 83) In 1916, Charles L. Freer made six important purchases of

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Chinese painting from three Chinese dealers. Aware of Freer’s zeal for ancient Chinese

paintings and the competition with other dealers, Loo published the Descriptive

155 The founder of the Yamanaka & Co.,Yamanaka Sadajiro was called by Freer as ‘the

most experienced critic of Japanese art in this country’ after Fenollosa” (Meech 1993,
133, originally from C.L. Freer to Halsey C. Ives, April 2, 1904, CLFP-FGA). “C. T. Loo
Holds Fine Exhibition at Wildenstein’s, ” Art News, November 7, 1931, 1, 2.
156 Kuan Fu-Ts’u refers to Loo’s partner, F.S. Kwen. E. Gorer to JDR Jr., March 8, 1915,
folder 1319, Re. Yellow beaker, 1915-1916, box 133, OMR-RAC.
157 In January 1916 Freer Brought one hundred Chinese paintings for $6,5000 from Lee
Van Ching , and thirteen paintings for $7,000 from K.T. Wong . In February 1916,
twenty paintings for $19,000 from Lee Van Ching. In September, thirty-two paintings for
$18,000 from K.T. Wong . In December, six paintings for $ 6000 and fifteen paintings at
$21,000 from Pang Lai ch’en.