Object Details
- School/Tradition
- Nurpur school
- Label
- The musical mode Himal is embodied as Raja Mandhata, this manuscript’s patron. Shown splendidly dressed and seated in a grove with two birds perched on his hand, the king is an emblem of refinement.
- The painting’s superbly controlled line, luminous palette, and precisely calculated composition identify it as part of one of the greatest ragamala series. The vivid yellow background was produced with a pigment made from the urine of cows fed on mangos; the recipe for this color (peori) has been lost to history.
- Provenance
- Prior to 1960s
- Mandi Royal Collection
- From ca. 1980s
- Unknown German dealer [1]
- To 2003
- Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd., New York, New York [2]
- From 2003 to 2017
- Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, California, purchased from Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd., New York, New York in March 2003 [3]
- From 2017
- Freer Gallery of Art, partial gift and purchase from Catherine Glynn Benkaim [4]
- Notes:
- [1] According to conversation with Catherine Glynn Benkaim from June 14, 2016, Ms. Benkaim mentioned that this folio and numerous others from the series were with a German dealer in the 1980s.
- [2] Catherine Glynn Benkaim purchased this painting from Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd. in March 2003.
- [3] See note 2.
- [4] See Acquisition Consideration Form, object file, Collections Management Office.
- Collection
- Freer Gallery of Art Collection
- Exhibition History
- Body Image (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)
- Previous custodian or owner
- Mandi Royal Collection
- Unknown
- Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. (active 1990-2013)
- Ralph and Catherine Benkaim
- Catherine Glynn Benkaim
- Credit Line
- Purchase from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
- ca. 1690
- Accession Number
- F2017.13.3
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Opaque watercolor on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (image): 17.5 × 17.7 cm (6 7/8 × 7 in)
- H x W (sheet): 21.3 × 20.7 cm (8 3/8 × 8 1/8 in)
- Origin
- Nurpur, Himachal Pradesh state, India
- See more items in
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
- Topic
- portrait
- bird
- man
- India
- South Asian and Himalayan Art
- Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection
- Record ID
- fsg_F2017.13.3
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye39b3362f7-cec6-46cd-9c1e-3b1b640af6c7
