The poet Sundar Das before Emperor Shah Jahan, folio from a Sundar Shringar

Object Details

• Artist

  Attributed to Nainsukh (active ca. 1710-1778)

• School/Tradition

  Guler school

• Marks

  A purple stamped cartouche (the Mandi inventory stamp) with handwritten number 268.

• Inscriptions

  Verso: Four lines of devanagari script: a verse of Sundar

  Shah Jahan gave countless wealth to skilled men.

  Among them he honored the fine poet Sundar with much respect.

  He gave gemstones, ornaments, a land settlement,1 horses, elephants, a set of

  clothing. First he gave the title “King of poets,” then “Emperor of Poets.”

  The king of poets is a Brahman and a resident of Gwalior city.

  The emperor looks upon him with favor and is kindly.

  In another hand in devanagari script: Sri Badshah [the esteemed emperor] ordered [Sundar] to make [compose] the Sundar Shringar. On getting the emperor’s order, [the poet] obtained the blessings of Sri Vishnu and Saraswati and returned to his home.

  In another hand in devanagari script: Sri Badshah [the esteemed emperor] ordered [Sundar] to make [compose] the Sundar Shringar. On getting the emperor’s order, [the poet] obtained the blessings of Sri Vishnu and Saraswati and returned to his home.

• Provenance

  To 1940s

  Raja of Mandi [1]

  1987

  Sale, London, Sotheby’s, Fine Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures, December 14, 1987, lot 87: “A Hill ruler, probably Raja Sidh Sen of Mandi, paying respects to a Mughal emperor who kneels on a canopied throne” [2]

  From 1987 to 2017

  Ralph Benkaim (1914-2001) and Catherine Glyn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, California, purchased at auction, “Fine Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures,” Sotheby’s, London, December 14, 1987, lot no. 87, “A Hill ruler, probably Raja Sidh Sen of Mandi, paying respects to a Mughal emperor who kneels on a canopied throne” [3]

  From 2017

  Freer Gallery of Art, partial gift and purchase from Catherine Glynn Benkaim [4]

  Notes:

  [1] The painting is believed to have been part of a large cache of Mandi paintings that were dispersed from the Mandi storerooms in the 1940s. The father of Mr. Bharany, who was based in Amritsar, was one of two dealers who handled their dispersal. About half the paintings went to Lahore; Mr. Mehra (a dealer in Delhi) and Coswajee Jahangir (a collector in Mumbai) were among those who acquired them in India, according to information from Catherine Glynn Benkaim, June 14, 2016.

  [2] See object file.

  [3] See Acquisition Consideration Form, object file, Collections Management Office.

  [4] See note 3.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Previous custodian or owner

  Raja of Mandi

  Ralph and Catherine Benkaim

  Catherine Glynn Benkaim

• Origin

  Guler, Himachal Pradesh state, India

• Credit Line

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

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1770s, 1740s

• Name

  Raja, Benkaim, Ralph and Catherine, Benkaim, Catherine Glynn

• Place

  Guler, Himachal Pradesh state, India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection, Portraits, Ruler, Poets

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings