Shrine with Twenty-Four Jinas
![Detail of a pattern](https://asia.si.edu/wp-content/themes/custom/nmaa/nmaa-frontend/public/images/hero-bkgrnd-desktop.jpg)
Terms of Use
Usage Conditions ApplyAt A Glance
-
Period
1097 -
Geography
Madhya Pradesh state, Khajuraho region, India -
Material
Copper alloy -
Dimension
H x W x D: 29.5 x 19.1 x 9.2 cm (11 5/8 x 7 1/2 x 3 5/8 in) -
Accession Number
F1993.11 -
EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_F1993.11
Object Details
-
Description
The delicate temple-like frame of the shrine sits on a footed base with incised foliate decoration. Miniature pillars of the niche-like flames of Parshvanantha include images of eleven jinas with flanking attendants. A row of small figures representing the planets is included across the base. All details of this shrine are executed with great refinement. -
Inscriptions
An inscription on the reverse states that this piece was dedicated in the year 1097 by a devotee named Sri Prasannachandra. -
Provenance
1096-?Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India [1]?-?Ownership information unknown?-?Unidentified individual, France, method of acquisition unknown [2]?-1993Robert Hatfield Ellsworth (1929-2014), New York, NY, method of acquisition unknown [3]From 1993Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Robert Hatfield Ellsworth [4]Notes:[1] The inscription on the reverse states that this piece was dedicated in the year 1097 by a devotee named Sri Prasannachandra.In Carol Radcliffe Bolon’s “Acquisition proposal” she says, “The Jain bronze shrine from Robert Ellsworth (RLS1993.12) is from North India, probably the region of Khajuraho, and is dated in the inscription on the back as 1096.” Bolon also states that the object was "[p]reviously in a French private collection,” however, the source of this information is unknown. See “Acquisition proposal” memo by Carol Radcliffe Bolon, Assistant Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art, to Thomas Lentz, dated February 22, 1993, copy in object file. RLS1993.12 is the temporary object number assigned to this object by the Freer Gallery of Art for tracking purposes.[2] See note 1.[3] See invoice on “R. H. Ellsworth, Ltd.” letterhead, issued by Robert Hatfield Ellsworth (R. H. Ellsworth, Ltd.) to the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, dated February 9, 1993, copy in object file.Robert Hatfield Ellsworth (1929-2014), also known as “Bobby”, was an important connoisseur, collector, and dealer of Asian art in New York, NY. Ellsworth specialized in Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian sculpture, paintings, furniture and works of art. He is most remembered for popularizing modern Chinese painting and calligraphy and Ming furniture with collectors. Born in New York, NY, Ellsworth began collecting and selling Asian antiques as a teenager. In 1948, a family friend and antiques dealer named Frank Stoner introduced Ellsworth to the Asian art dealer Alice Boney (1901-1989), who became Ellsworth’s mentor. Ellsworth was drafted into the Army in 1950 and was stationed in Honolulu, HI, which supplied him with opportunities to study Asian art. Returning to New York, he formed a partnership with art dealer James Goldie in 1960. Together they opened a gallery, Ellsworth and Goldie, Ltd., in New York, NY, which offer English furniture and decorative arts, as well as the Asian objects. When Goldie retired in 1970, Ellsworth moved to 163 East 64th Street, where, following the example of Boney, he operated his business from his town house. Ellsworth clients included private collector and institutions. His biggest customer was the late John D Rockefeller III (1906-1978) and Christian Humann (1929-1981). Ellsworth also sold works at auction. He successfully placed works into the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Cleveland Museum of Art; Harvard Art Museum; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art; Philadelphia Museum of Art; Yale University Art Museum. See Lawton, Thomas, “Robert Hatfield Ellsworth: Extravagant Charisma and Burnished Eye” in “Brushing the Past: Late Chinese Calligraphy from the Gift of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth” (Washington: Freer Gallery of Art, 2000), p. 15-39.[4] See Freer Gallery of Art “Acquisition Justification Form,” approved on April 23, 1993, copy in object file.”Before the purchase, the Gallery corresponded with the Embassy of India in Washington, DC, for advice on this acquisition. The First Secretary replied stating, “The Government of India has just conveyed its clearance to the acquisition of the said object by your Gallery with the condition that in case this antiquity is found to have been lost from any of the Museums/or smuggled out of the country of its origin i.e. India, the same will have to be retuned to the Government of India.” See letter from Malay Mishra, First Secretary (INF & HOC), Embassy of India in Washington, DC, to Carol Radcliffe Bolon, Assistant Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art, dated January 25, 1993, copy in object file.Research updated April 7, 2023 -
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection -
Exhibition History
Body Image (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)Arts of the Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas (October 16, 2004 to January 3, 2016)South Asian Sculpture (February 22, 2000 to June 18, 2003)South and South East Asian Art (May 9, 1993 to February 7, 2000) -
Previous custodian or owner
Robert Hatfield Ellsworth (1929-2014) -
Origin
Madhya Pradesh state, Khajuraho region, India -
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment -
Type
Sculpture -
On View
Freer Gallery 02: Body Image: Arts of the Indian Subcontinent -
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
-
Date
-
Name
-
Place
-
Topic
-
Culture
-
Object Type
-
On View