Double folio from a Kitab-i hasha'ish (The book of herbs)

Object Details

• Court

  Probably Bijapur Court

• School/Tradition

  Deccani school

• Provenance

  ?-?

  Sir Howard Hodgkin (1932-2017), method of acquisition unknown [1]

  ?-?

  Simon Digby (1932-2010), method of acquisition unknown [2]

  ?-1998

  Francesca Galloway, Ltd., London, England, method of acquisition unknown [3]

  From 1998

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Francesca Galloway, Ltd. [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. 48, p. 177. The provenance is described as, “Ex-collection: Howard Hodgkin.”

  Sir Howard Hodgkin was an English painter and collector of Indian painting. He was awarded the Turner prize in 1985 and was knighted in 1992. In 1946, Hodgkin started collecting Indian paintings after he had been introduced to them while attending Eton College. Objects from Hodgkin’s collection may also be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

  [2] See also invoice number 486 from Francesca Galloway, Ltd. to Freer Gallery of Art, dated June 17, 1998, copy in object file. The provenance is described as, “Provenance: Simon Digby.”

  Born in Jabalpur, India, Simon Digby (1932-2010) was a British scholar, educator, translator, collector, and Assistant Keeper in the Department of Eastern Art of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Digby’s was educated in England at the Stowe School (1946-1951) and the University of Cambridge (B.A. 1956; M.A. 1962), but he often returned to India where he spent long periods studying and traveling the country. Digby assembled notable collections of Indian paintings, metalwork, and sculptures. Digby’s paintings collection included illustrated manuscript pages and other works from the courts of Rajasthan, Central India, the Punjab Hills and the Deccan, as well as from the Jain monasteries of Western India. He acquired objects at auction and through dealers. Following his death, important objects from Digby’s collection were sold through Christie’s, London to establish Simon Digby Memorial Charity. Objects from his collection may now be found at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford; the British Museum; and the S. Digby Oriental Collection at the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford.

  [3] See note 2. See also “Incoming Receipt,” dated February 25, 1998, copy in object file. The object was transferred from Francesca Galloway, Ltd. to the Freer Gallery of Art for acquisition consideration on February 25, 1998.

  Francesca Galloway, Ltd. is a dealer in London, England, specializing in Indian painting and textiles established in 1992.

  [4] See Freer Gallery of Art “Acquisition Consideration Form,” approved on June 15, 1998, copy in object file.

  Research updated September 11, 2023

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  East of Eden: Gardens in Asian Art (February 24 to May 13, 2007)

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

  Beyond the Legacy--Anniversary Acquisitions of the Freer Gallery of Art (October 11, 1998 to April 11, 1999)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Sir Howard Hodgkin (1932-2017)

  Simon Digby (1932-2010)

  Francesca Galloway, Ltd. (established 1992)

• Origin

  Bijapur, Karnataka state, Deccan plateau, India

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Manuscript

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1590s

• Name

  Galloway, Francesca Marigold, Digby, Simon, Hodgkin, Howard

• Place

  Bijapur, Deccan plateau, Karnataka state, India

• Topic

  Medicine, South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, De Materia Medica, Plants

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Manuscripts