Roof-Ridge Ornament

Dr. Arthur de Carvalho (1890-1969), Oakland, CA, probably by 1940 [1];

Acquired from De Carvalho by Arlene Holst (possibly 1902-1972), San Francisco, CA, by November 1941 [2];

Purchased from Holst by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1941.

NOTES:

[1] According to Arlene Holst, in a letter to Herbert Jones, Nelson-Atkins Trustee, December 2, 1941, Nelson-Atkins curatorial file, this object “was brought to America by Dr. Arthur de Carvalho, now of 471-19th.st. Oakland, Calif. on one of his inter-Asian expeditions.…he had the object in his famous collection for many years.” According to a biography of De Carvalho written by Gael Newton, Former Curator of Photography, National Gallery of Australia and published in an undated pamphlet titled Photographs of Hong Kong Photographers (Asian Bookroom, Canberra), De Carvalho was a dentist who lived in Hong Kong, Shanghai and South America during the 1930s, ultimately settling in San Francisco by 1940. An amateur photographer, he is best known for his photographs of China and Indonesia.

[2] It is unclear whether Holst owned this ornament outright or was acting as an agent for De Carvalho. In several articles appearing in the Oakland Tribune between December 1942 and February 1943, it is mentioned as part of testimony given during a lawsuit between De Carvalho and Holst. According to the articles, Holst gave De Carhalvo the money she obtained from selling the ornament to the Nelson-Atkins as part of a verbal partnership in De Carvalho’s dental practice. When Holst did not receive the agreed remuneration from De Carvalho, she sued him for breach of contract. De Carvalho countersued, claiming unpayment of fees for services rendered related to dental work De Carvalho had provided to Holst. Following a contentious trial, the judge found in favor of Holst, awarding her the $500 she had given to De Carhalvo following her sale of the object to the Nelson-Atkins.