A woman at prayer

Object Details

• Provenance

  Probably 1933-1934

  Heeramaneck Galleries (active 1928-1964), New York, NY, method of acquisition unknown probably in India [1]

  From 1934

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Heeramaneck Galleries [2]

  Notes:

  [1] See Alvan C. Eastman, “Catalog of the Heeramaneck Collection of Early Indian Sculptures, Paintings, Bronzes and Textiles” [exhibition catalogue], (New York, NY: Heeramaneck Galleries, 1934), p. 18, cat. 51, plate no. 51, p. 45 (illustrated, detail).

  See also “Art of India Displayed in Comprehensive New York Show” [newspaper article] from “The Art Digest,” January 15, 1934, p. 9. The newspaper article states that “Mr. [Nasli H.] Heeramaneck has just returned from India where he passed several months in assembling the objects.”

  See untitled temporary deposit receipt, dated February 26, 1934, copy in object file. The object was transferred from Heeramaneck Galleries to the Freer Gallery of Art for acquisition consideration on February 26, 1934. Object is listed by dealer number, “No. 51.”

  Heeramaneck Galleries in New York, NY owned and operated by Nasli M. (1902-1971) and Alice N. Heeramaneck (née Arvine) (1910-1993). The Heeramaneck’s were dealers and collectors of Pre-Columbian and Asian art. Nasli Heeramaneck began his career as a dealer in Paris during the 1920s and relocated to New York, NY in 1927. In 1939, Nasli married Alice Arvine, an American portrait painter from New Haven, CT. Nasli founded Heeramaneck Galleries in New York, NY by 1928. He began to retire in 1964 and liquidated some of the gallery’s stock at auction at Parke-Barnet, New York in 1964 and 1965. Many objects from the Heeramaneck collection were either purchased or donated to American museums. Items from their collection may be found in The British Museum; the Cleveland Museum of Art; Los Angeles County Museum; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; National Museum of New Delhi; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; and Yale University.

  [2] See object file for copy of Heeramaneck Galleries invoice, issued by Nasli H. Heeramaneck, to Freer Gallery of Art, dated March 21, 1934, and marked approved on April 20, 1934. Object is described as “Woman at Worship.”

  Research updated September 1, 2023

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Female Imagery in Indian Painting (February 9 to August 5, 1996)

  South and South East Asian Art (May 9, 1993 to February 7, 2000)

  Untitled Exhibition, South Asian Painting, 1955 (October 24, 1955 to November 28, 1955)

  Untitled Exhibition, South Asian Paintings and Sculpture (October 2, 1947 to February 25, 1956)

  Untitled Exhibition, South Asian Paintings, Gallery 7 (January 10, 1945 to October 2, 1947)

  Untitled Exhibition, South Asian Paintings, Gallery 4 (May 5, 1933 to January 9, 1945)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Heeramaneck Galleries (active 1928-1964)

• Origin

  Bikaner (painting), Lucknow (borders), Rajasthan state, India

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Mixed Media

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1660s

• Name

  Heeramaneck Galleries

• Place

  Bikaner painting, Rajasthan state, Lucknow borders, India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Woman, Prayer

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Mixed media