Darbar of Jahangir

Object Details

• Artist

  Abu'l-Hasan

• Court

  Mughal Court

• School/Tradition

  Mughal school

• Provenance

  ca. 1615-?

  Abu'l-Hasan, painted in Ajmer, India [1]

  ?-at least 1931

  Ownership information unknown

  At least 1931-?

  Demotte, Inc., Paris, France and New York, NY, method of acquisition unknown [2]

  ?-at least 1945

  Ownership information unknown

  At least 1945-1946

  Heeramaneck Galleries (active 1928-1964), New York, NY, method of acquisition unknown [3]

  From 1946

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Heeramaneck Galleries [4]

  Notes:

  [1] See Milo Beach, “The Imperial Image: Paintings for the Mughal Court,” (Washington, DC and Ahmedabad, India: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Mapin International Inc., 2012), cat. 33, pp. 160-161. According to the inscription on the globe under the feet of Jahangir (1569-1627, reign 1605-1627), this object was painted by the artist Abu'l-Hasan in ca. 1615 in the town of Ajmer, India.

  [2] Ivan Stchoukine, “Portraits of Moghols, III et IV,” from “Revue des arts Asiatiques,” vol. 7, no. 4, (Paris, 1931), pl. 71 (LXXI), pp. 233-239. Object is described as, “Un darbár de Jahangir dans le Guzal Khanah. […] Coll. Demotte.”

  Georges Demotte (1877-1923) was a collector and dealer of Islamic and medieval European art. He had galleries in Paris and New York City.

  [3] See letter from Rita W. Edwards, Administrative Assistant to the Director, to Nasli Heeramaneck, dated August 25, 1945, copy in object file. The object was transferred from Heeramaneck Galleries to the Freer Gallery of Art for acquisition consideration on August 25, 1945. Object is described as, “Durbar scene of Jahangir by Abu’l-Hasan […].”

  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.

  [4] See object file for copy of the Heeramaneck Galleries invoice to Freer Gallery of Art, dated August 31, 1946, and marked approved on November 6, 1945 (and previously on November 1, 1945). Payment was approved on September 4, 1946.

  Research updated November 27, 2023

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Arts of the Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas (October 16, 2004 to January 3, 2016)

  Masterworks of Indian Painting (December 13, 1997 to June 13, 1998)

  The Arts of South Asia (May 13, 1985 to December 2, 1985)

  The Imperial Image: Painting for the Mughal Court (September 25, 1981 to 30 March 1982)

  Indian Art (January 1, 1963 to January 28, 1981)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Demotte, Inc.

  Heeramaneck Galleries (active 1928-1964)

• Origin

  India

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1610s, 1620s

• Name

  Demotte, Inc., Heeramaneck Galleries

• Place

  India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Reign of Jahangir (1605 - 1627), Globe, Mughal dynasty (1526 - 1858), Kings and rulers

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings