Asian Lesser False Vampire Bat

Object Details

School/Tradition

Company school

Label

For the British men and women who went to India, the study of natural history was both scientific inquiry and fashionable pastime. They trained Indian artists, often skilled court painters seeking new patronage, to record the country's flora and fauna with scientific precision.

The elegantly composed watercolor of a bat was commissioned by Major James Nathaniel Rind (died 1814) of the Eighteenth Native Infantry. The artist, whose name is unknown, masterfully captured the bat's downy fur and delicate veins as he transformed the Asian false vampire bat's fierce appearance into one of quite charming appeal.

Provenance

Ca. 1790-1814

James Nathaniel Rind (baptized 1753-1814), commissioned from an unidentified artist in Calcutta (Kolkata), India [1]

1814-1971

Mrs. S. Richardson and Mrs. S. M. Norman, by descent from James Nathaniel Rind [2]

1971

Sale, Sotheby’s, London, England, “Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures,” July 13, 1971, lot 35 [3]

1971-?

Sven Gahlin (1934-2017), purchased at July 13, 1971, Sotheby’s Sale, London, England [4]

?-1993

Andrew Kahane, Ltd. (established 1986), New York, NY, method of acquisition unknown [5]

1993

Sale, Sotheby’s, New York, NY, “Indian and Southeast Asian Art,” June 17, 1993, lot 169 [6]

From 1993

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, purchased from Andrew Kahane, Ltd. at June 17, 1993, Sotheby’s Sale, New York, NY [7]

Notes:

[1] See the collector’s inscription, “JNR [James Nathaniel Rind] 35,” on verso. James Nathaniel Rind commissioned this painting in India and brought it with him to United Kingdom. The painting remained in Rind’s family until 1971.

James Nathaniel Rind (baptized 1753-1814) was a British Major in the 18th Regiment of the Bengal Native Infantry in India. Rind was born in Saint Ninians, Stirlingshire, Scotland to William Rind (1733-?) of Saint Ninians, Stirlingshire, Scotland, and Jean Don (1733-1814). He was stationed in India from 1778 until 1801 and he was employed for survey duty between 1785 and 1789. Rind was furloughed from 1801 until his retirement in January 1804. In September 1804, he married Anne Evans (1774-1855) of London, England at Saint James Church, Piccadilly (known also as Saint James Church, Westminster) in London. Other works commissioned

by Rind may now be found in private collections and in institutions such as, the British Museum, Harvard Art Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Princeton University Art Museum. See Vernon Charles Paget Hodson, “List of the Officers of the Bengal Army, 1758-1834,” Part 3, (London: 1927-1947), pp. 658-659.

[2] See Sotheby’s, “Catalogue of Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures” [auction catalogue], (London: Sotheby’s, July 13, 1971), lot 35. Object is described as, “A Bat with large ears, grey body, pale brown wings, and pink legs and arms, the animal posed with wings outspread to display the underside.” Lots 1 through 48 are described as bring the “Property of Mrs. S. Richardson and Mrs. S. M. Norman.” The purchase list indicates that this object (lot 35) was purchased by “Sven Gahlin.”

[3] See note 2.

[4] See note 2.

Sven Gahlin (1934-2017) was a dealer, collector, and art historian based in London, England. In 1956, Gahlin started began his career as an assistant to the German-born art dealer Francis Matthiessen (formerly Franz Zatzenstein or Franz Matthiessen-Zatzenstein) (1897-1963) in London and established his own company, Sven Gahlin, Ltd. (active 1963-2018), in 1963. Gahlin’s gallery initially focused on Old Master drawing, but later specialized in the sale of Indian miniature painting. Gahlin amassed a personal collection of Indian miniatures from the Mughal, Deccani, Rajput and Pahari courts, as well as Company School paintings. He was also a collector of Greek and Roman coins and British tokens. Objects from his private collection of Indian miniatures were sold at public auctions through Sotheby’s London office in 2015.

[5] See invoice from Andrew Kahane, Ltd., issued by Andrew Kahane, dated June 18, 1993, copy in object file. Object is described as, “An Indian Watercolor of a Bat, Company School.”

Andrew Kahane, Ltd. (established 1986) in New York, NY is an independent specialist of Chinese ceramics and art and Indian and Southeast Asian sculpture.

[6] See Sotheby’s, “Indian and Southeast Asian Art” [auction catalogue], (New York, NY: Sotheby’s, June 17, 1993), lot 169, ill. Object is described as, “A Bat with Large Ears, Company School, Calcutta, circa 1790.”

See also invoice number 6440 010 from Sotheby’s, New York, copy in object file.

[7] See Arthur M. Sackler, “Acquisition Consideration Form,” approved on June 23, 1993, copy in object file.

Research updated August 21, 2023

Collection

National Museum of Asian Art Collection

Exhibition History

Changing Tastes: Indian Paintings of the 18th and 19th Century (December 17, 2000 to July 15, 2001)

Previous custodian or owner

Commissioned by Major James Nathaniel Rind (baptized 1753-1814)

Mrs. S. Richardson

Mrs. S. M. Norman

Sven Gahlin (1934-2017)

Andrew Kahane, Ltd. (established 1986)

Credit Line

Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds

ca. 1790

Accession Number

S1993.40

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Painting

Medium

Watercolor on paper

Dimensions

H x W (overall): 41.9 x 52.1 cm (16 1/2 x 20 1/2 in)

Origin

Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal state, India

Related Online Resources

Google Cultural Institute

See more items in

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Topic

bat

India

South Asian and Himalayan Art

Record ID

fsg_S1993.40

Metadata Usage (text)

Not determined

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye32eaeabae-c381-4544-a40f-ad75a7c4359d