Ascetic

Object Details

• Court

  Basohli or Mankot Court

• School/Tradition

  Pahari school

• Label

  This drawing of an ascetic, with its alertly beatific expression, craggy profile, deepset eye, and naturalistically draped robe, point towards the increasing observation from life characteristic of mid and late eighteenth-century painting in Guler, when Mughal drawing techniques and style were adopted.

• Provenance

  Possibly at least 1950s-ca. 1970

  Jagdish Mittal, method of acquisition unknown [1]

  Ca. 1970-?

  Unidentified individual, Europe, purchased from Jagdish Mittal [2]

  ?-?

  Unidentified individual, Europe, method of acquisition unknown from Unidentified individual, Europe [3]

  ?-2006

  Unidentified individual, method of acquisition unknown [4]

  2006

  Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. (active 1990-2013), New York, NY, method of acquisition unknown from Unidentified individual [5]

  From 2006

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. [6]

  Notes:

  [1] See Curatorial Remark, dated December 17, 2010, copy in object file. The Curatorial Remark described the provenance as, “Drawing from the collection of Jagdish Mittal, sold to a European collector around 1970. The drawing then entered another European collection before it came into the possession of the seller[, named(?) JR]."

  See Acquisition Justification, dated September 5, 2006, copy in object file. The Acquisition Justification states, “The drawing fragment, which has been in two European private collections successively over the last four decades, was earlier in the collection of Jagdish Mittal of Hyderabad, India. Mr. Mittal acquired the bulk of his painting collection in the 1950s and 1960s.”

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] See note 1.

  [4] See note 1, Curatorial Remark.

  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 [now F2006.4] and [this] drawing 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, “Ascetic.”

  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

• Previous custodian or owner

  Jagdish Mittal (1925-2025)

  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

  Drawing

• 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

  1740s, 1750s

• Name

  Mittal, Jagdish, McInerney, Terence

• Place

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

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Drawings