Guru and Disciple

Object Details

• Court

  Basohli or Mankot Court

• School/Tradition

  Pahari school

• Description

  Painting depicts an encounter between an aged ascetic and his young disciple within an ashram during the monsoon season

• Provenance

  ?-late 1960s or early 1970s

  Abdur Rahman Chughtai (1897-1975), method of acquisition unknown [1]

  Late 1960s or early 1970s-?

  Unidentified western individual, purchased from Abdur Rahman Chughtai [2]

  ?-2006

  Unidentified individual, method of acquisition unknown [3]

  2006

  Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. (active 1990-2013), New York, NY, method of acquisition unknown from Unidentified individual [4]

  From 2006

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd. [5]

  Notes:

  [1] See Acquisition Justification, dated September 5, 2006, copy in object file. The Acquisition Justification states, “The painting was formerly in the collection of Abdur Rahman Chughtai […]. The painting's verso bears two signatures of Chughtai, as well as two obliterated stamps indicating that the painting was catalogued as part of the Chughtai private museum […] in Lahore. […] [I]t is known to have been sold to a western collector, as were other pre-modern works from Chughtai's collection, sometime in the late 1960s or early 1970s.”

  Abdur Rahman Chughtai (1897-1975) was one of Pakistan's leading twentieth century artists. Chughtai developed a modern style that drew upon Mughal and Pahari painting; he was also a collector of Mughal and Rajput works on paper.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] See also document titled, “Curatorial Object Viewing,” dated August 28, 2006, copy in object file. The document states that “JR gave his permission to have the painting and drawing [now F2006.5] sent to the museum.” JR remains unidentified.

  [4] See “Incoming Receipt,” dated September 1, 2006, copy in object file. The object was transferred from Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd., New York, NY to the Freer Gallery of Art for acquisition consideration on September 1, 2006.

  See also Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd., New York, NY, invoice, dated October 8, 2006, copy in object file. Object is described as, “Guru and Disciple.”

  Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd. (active 1990-2013) in New York, NY, specialized in Indian and Islamic paintings and occasionally three-dimensional metal and wooden objects. Founded by Terence G. McInerney, his prior firm was the Greater India Company, Inc. (active 1974-1991) in Cambridge, MA.

  [5] See Freer Gallery of Art “Acquisition Consideration” form, marked approved on September 21, 2006, copy in object file.

  Research updated August 17, 2023

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

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

• Previous custodian or owner

  Abdur Rahman Chughtai (1897-1975)

  Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. (active 1990-2013)

• Origin

  Basohli or Mankot, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab Hills, India

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1730s, 1750s

• Name

  Chughtai, Abdur Rahman, McInerney, Terence

• Place

  Punjab Hills, Basohli, Kashmir, Mankot, Jammu, India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Disciple, Antelope, Ashrams, Gurus, Ascetic

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings