Rana Amar Singh II seated on a terrace with courtiers

Object Details

• Sitter

  Rana Amar Singh II

• Court

  Mewar Court

• School/Tradition

  Rajput school

• Provenance

  1971-2001

  Ralph Benkaim (1914-2001), purchased from unidentified source [1]

  2001-2011

  Catherine Glynn Benkaim, by descent from Ralph Benkaim [2]

  From 2011

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Catherine Glynn Benkaim [3]

  Notes:

  [1] See “Acquisition Justification,” dated September 2011, copy in object file. The “Acquisition Justification” states that “The Benkaims” (Ralph Benkaim) purchased this painting in 1971. Catherine Glynn Benkaim did not start collecting with Ralph until 1976.

  Ralph (1914-2001) and Catherine Glynn Benkaim were collectors of Indian painting. Mr. Benkaim was an entertainment lawyer from Los Angeles who started collecting Indian painting in 1961 and Ms. Benkaim scholar in the field of Indian painting. Mr. and Ms. Benkaim met in the 1970s when Ms. Benkaim was the curator of Indian painting at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The couple were married 1979 and together they created a fine collection of Indian paintings, which included examples from all genres. They collected objects for their collection through dealers and auctions. Objects from their collection may also be found in the Cleveland Museum of Art, Williams College Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art, among others.

  [2] See “Temporary Custody Receipt,” dated August 31, 2011, copy in object file. The object was transferred from Catherine Glynn Benkaim to the Freer Gallery of Art for acquisition consideration on August 31, 2011.

  See also object file for copy of the Catherine Glynn Benkaim invoice to Freer Gallery of Art, dated October 21, 2011.

  [3] See Freer Gallery of Art “Acquisition Consideration” form, approved on November 17, 2011, copy in object file.

  Research updated December 1, 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

  Ralph Benkaim (1914-2001)

  Catherine Glynn Benkaim

• Origin

  Udaipur, Rajasthan state, Mewar, India

• Credit Line

  Purchase from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1710s

• Name

  Benkaim, Ralph, Benkaim, Catherine Glynn

• Place

  Udaipur, Rajasthan state, Mewar, India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Sisodia dynasty (861 - 1947), Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection, Hookah, Ruler

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings