The Heber R. Bishop Collection in the Metropolitan Museum in New York is one of the most important collections of 18th c. Chinese jade in the world. Bishop donated it in 1902 with the stipulation that it be housed in its own rooms, which he funded along with the gift. The will is available online as well as a Met Bulletin from the 1920s that talks about the new and improved jade rooms.
Now the collection is all warehoused, except for a neolithic cong and maybe a few other pieces. Why would they do this when jade is of the highest importance to the Chinese culture?
More disturbing news is that major pieces are being auctioned. There is a link to a Christies' sale from 2012 online. I will post it here. Bishop trusted the Met to display the collection for the public and to at least keep it safe and intact. He could have sold it himself! This should be a warning to any collectors. Call and ask why this is being done, if you are interested. General Info: [phone removed]; ask for Asian Art Dept number or email, maybe email is better as it leaves a record.
Here's a link to the collection to see what we're missing.
http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections?ft=heber+r.+bishop+collection+of+jade&noqs=true&rpp=20&pg=1
Met's Bishop Coll. Not Displayed/Auctioned
The link to the Christies' sale.
http://www.christies.com/presscenter/pdf/2012/chinese_ceramics_woa_fall_2012.pdf
http://www.christies.com/presscenter/pdf/2012/chinese_ceramics_woa_fall_2012.pdf
Heber R. Bishops will is on the web, published by The New York Times, December 18, 1902 -- http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0A10F635591B728DDDA10994DA415B828CF1D Below is an excerpt from it:
"I direct the executors to pay to the said Trustees out of my estate such sum or sums of money as may, in the discretion of the executors, be required in addition to the $55,000 for the construction and equipment of a room to be set apart in the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the exhibition of the collection of jade and other hard stones presented by me to said museum through the medium of the Trustees under said agreement of April 21, 1902."
"I direct the executors to pay to the said Trustees out of my estate such sum or sums of money as may, in the discretion of the executors, be required in addition to the $55,000 for the construction and equipment of a room to be set apart in the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the exhibition of the collection of jade and other hard stones presented by me to said museum through the medium of the Trustees under said agreement of April 21, 1902."
This link talks about the jade rooms when they existed.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=27&ved=0CEwQFjAGOBQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.metmuseum.org%2Fpubs%2Fbulletins%2F1%2Fpdf%2F3255372.pdf.bannered.pdf&ei=Zz2SUb79BYTO9ASZ4oHYBg&us
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=27&ved=0CEwQFjAGOBQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.metmuseum.org%2Fpubs%2Fbulletins%2F1%2Fpdf%2F3255372.pdf.bannered.pdf&ei=Zz2SUb79BYTO9ASZ4oHYBg&us
The email and number for the Asian Art Department.
[email removed]
[phone removed]
[email removed]
[phone removed]
My mistake, the auctioned pieces are very similar to the ones in the Met. The problem of why the collection isn't being displayed is still worth asking them about.
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/60009395
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/60009395
Here's the second piece that I presumed was from the Met. Apparently Bishop left pieces in the family as other ones besides these have been auctioned.
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/60009497
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/60009497
Email reply from the Met:
"A selection of Bishop jades have always been on display in the Chinese Decorative Art Galleries. It is currently off view as the Chinese Decorative Art Galleries are under repair. It will be back on display when the repair is completed at the end of the year. An exhibition titled "Bishop Jades" was held in 2005-2006, when many examples from the collection and historical photographs of Chinese jade carving were on view. The recent exhibition "Colors of the Universe", which was on view from September 2012 to this January, also featured many Bishop jades."
"A selection of Bishop jades have always been on display in the Chinese Decorative Art Galleries. It is currently off view as the Chinese Decorative Art Galleries are under repair. It will be back on display when the repair is completed at the end of the year. An exhibition titled "Bishop Jades" was held in 2005-2006, when many examples from the collection and historical photographs of Chinese jade carving were on view. The recent exhibition "Colors of the Universe", which was on view from September 2012 to this January, also featured many Bishop jades."