Shiva Nataraja

Object Details

Previous custodian or owner

Rajrama Art Galleries

Doris Wiener Gallery

Provenance

To 1973

Rajrama Art Galleries, London, United Kingdom [1]

From 1973 to 2002

Doris Wiener Gallery, New York, New York, purchased from Rajrama Art Galleries, London, United Kingdom in 1973 [2]

From 2002

Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, purchased from Doris Wiener Gallery, New York, New York on July 2002 [3]

Notes:

[1] See invoice dated March 10, 1973 from Rajrama Art Galleries, London, copy in object file, Collections Management Office.

[2] According to the Purchase and Sale Agreement, Doris Wiener acquired the object in London and imported it into the United States in 1973. See invoice from Rajrama Art Galleries, London, copy in object file, Collections Management Office. See also the Purchase and Sale Agreement, object file, Collections Management Office.

According to Doris Wiener, she purchased the sculpture from Rajrama Art Galleries in 1972. In a letter from Doris Wiener to curator Vidya Dehejia, she writes, “The sales invoice from the London dealer, Rajrama Art Gallery, from whom I acquired the sculpture. The invoice is dated March 10th, 1973. Please note that I viewed and purchased the piece in London in 1972, several months prior to the date of purchase on the invoice.” See letter from Doris Wiener dated November 16, 1995, copy in object file, Collections Management Office.

Furthermore, according to the Curatorial Justification written on June 19, 2002, “The bronze has been in the collection of Doris Wiener Gallery in New York City since 1973; Pratapaditya Pal saw it at the gallery at that time.” The Curatorial Justification also notes that the importation papers dated 1972-3 were reviewed and found satisfactory and that “Dr. R. Nagaswamy, who was the Director General of Archaeology of India during those years, has examined the Shiva Nataraja and assures us that it is not among those bronzes reported as stolen by Tamil Nadu temples.” See Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record.

[3] The object was accepted into the Freer Study Collection on July 2002. On September 2003, it was transferred to the Permanent Collection of the Freer Gallery of Art. See Acquisition Consideration Form, original copy in object file, Collections Management Office.

Credit Line

Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment and funds provided by Margaret and George Haldeman

ca. 990

Period

Chola dynasty

Accession Number

F2003.2

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Type

Sculpture

Medium

Bronze

Dimensions

H x W x D (overall): 70.8 x 53.3 x 24.6 cm (27 7/8 x 21 x 9 11/16 in)

Origin

Tamil Nadu state, India

Related Online Resources

Google Cultural Institute

See more items in

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection

On View

Freer Gallery 01: Body Image: Arts of the Indian Subcontinent

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Topic

Shiva

dance

lotus

Chola dynasty (850 - 1280)

India

South Asian and Himalayan Art

Nataraja

Record ID

fsg_F2003.2

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3da36e7da-2bc2-4c80-8578-9b1daa0c500b