Detail: The two-bedroom New Jersey apartment of
psychiatrist-turned-collector and
scholar Paul Singer (1904–1997) was once
packed with more than 5,000 ancient
Chinese art objects he had assembled
over the course of seventy years. Dr.
Singer’s bequest to the Arthur M.
Sackler Gallery created one of the
largest and most significant Chinese
archaeological collections in the United
States. This exhibition of selections of
Singer’s gift not only looks at the
collector’s contributions to Chinese art
history—made largely at a time when
contact between China and the West was
heavily restricted—but it also examines
how landmark archaeological discoveries
have shed new light on his acquisitions
and on life in ancient China. Highlights
include an early bronze plaque with
exquisite turquoise inlay; jade and
stone objects that closely resemble
those found in the tomb of the royal
consort Fu Hao dating to the 13th
century BCE; 2,000-year-old human
hairpieces in a lidded lacquer cosmetic
case; and a group of rare and sometimes
amusing figurines and miniature vessels.