Page 91 - C.T. Loo A paper about his impact and activities in the Chinese art Market

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friends to appreciate more the decorations of your beautiful screen”. Loo contacted Mr.

and Mrs. Rockefeller on a regular basis. The existing correspondence between them

from1930 to 1935 shows that the frequency of correspondence between C. T. Loo and the

176
Rockefellers is at least 6 times per year. Loo also showed his sensitivity to collectors’
preferences. For instance, the offers that Rockefeller received from Loo were mostly of

Qing and Ming ceramics. In the case of Winthrop, Loo focused on archaic jades, bronzes,

and stone sculptures. The collection in the Descriptive Catalogue of Ancient and Genuine

Chinese Painting was offered by Loo’s firm to Freer in 1916 as a response to his keen

interest in ancient Chinese painting. The catalogue compiler F.S. Kwen stated, “The

paintings …have been especially chosen for submission to Mr. Charles L. Freer and his

fellow collectors in America in the hope that they will be kindly received and properly

valued.”(Kwen 1916, An Appreciation) Loo also responded to special requests from his

clients. In 1949, Loo sold Rockefeller a group of porcelains upon Rockefeller’s request

for ashtrays for his apartment. 177

175 C. T. Loo to JDR Jr., March 25, 1916, folder 1370, box 137, OMR-RAC.
176 The statistics also include correspondence between secretaries of Loo and JDR Jr. on
their behalf. The distribution is 8 times (1935), 7(1934), 4 (1933), 11 (1932), 2 (1931),
and 6 (1930). Folder 1370, C. T. Loo 1916-1949, box 137, OMR-RAC.
177 JDR Jr. to C. T. Loo, Feb. 21, 1949, folder 106, C. T. Loo 1945-1951, box 11, OMR-
RAC.