Hanuman standing before Rama and Sita

Object Details

• Court

  Mewar Court

• School/Tradition

  Rajput school

• Provenance

  ?-1938

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

  From 1938

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

  Notes:

  [1] See letter from Nasli M. Heeramaneck to John E. Lodge, dated May 24, 1938, copy in object file. Nasli M. Heeramaneck’s letter states, “Prof. [W. Norman] Brown asked me to show you specifically the two Nepalese palm leaf paintings of Markandeyapurana of the 15th century [now F1939.35 and F1939.36]. […]. And the Basohli painting of Rama and Sita under a canopy is unusually good in which the figure of Hanuman I am sure you will find superb in quality.” See also the enclosed object list where this object is described as, “1. Indian painting of Basohli school, of Rama and Sita seated under a canopy.”

  See also untitled incoming receipt of objects owned by the Heeramaneck Galleries, undated (ca. 1938), copy in object file. The object was transferred from the Heeramaneck Galleries to the Freer Gallery of Art for acquisition consideration on May 23, 1938. Object is described as, “1 Indian painting (framed).”

  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 to Freer Gallery of Art, dated June 21, 1938, and marked approved on June 21, 1938. Object is described as, “Rama, Sita and Hanuman.”

  Research updated November 1, 2023

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Hindu and Buddhist Art (January 28, 1981 to September 24, 1981)

  Centennial Exhibition, West Corridor (February 25, 1956 to July 11, 1958)

  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

  Udaipur, Rajasthan state, Mewar, India

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s

• Name

  Heeramaneck Galleries

• Place

  Udaipur, Rajasthan state, Mewar, India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Hanuman, Art, Sisodia dynasty (861 - 1947), Fly whisk, Sita, Lakshmana, Ra?ma (Hindu deity), Umbrellas, Bow

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings