C. T. Loo: a bronze vessel with documented international provenance

C. T. Loo is regarded as one of the most important dealers in Asian art of the 20th century. Born Lu Huanwen near Shanghai in 1880, he came to Paris in 1902 — initially as cook to a Chinese diplomat. There he found his way into the art trade and developed a fine sense for quality and rarity. By 1908 he had opened his first gallery.

The Paris «Pagoda»

Loo’s network connected him with leading museums and collectors worldwide; his own branches in Beijing and Shanghai allowed him to acquire works of art directly on the spot and make them available to institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum and the British Museum. In 1925 he opened his Paris «Pagoda» — a town house that he transformed, together with the architect Fernand Bloch, into a building of Chinese architecture. His role in the transfer of art during those decades is today also the subject of critical research.

Documented by original correspondence

Our auction featured a bronze ritual vessel «Yi», China, probably Zhou dynasty, around the 8th century BC — estimated at CHF 40,000. Its provenance leads directly back to Loo: the consignor’s father acquired it from C. T. Loo in Paris in 1932, as documented by the surviving original correspondence.

The vessel was offered at the Spring Auction 2025.