Former Lives of the Buddha

Object Details

• Provenance

  Before 1973-at least 1984

  Fong Chow (1923-2012), method of acquisition unknown [1]

  At least 1984-1990

  Mr. and Mrs. John Gilmore and Berthe Ford, purchased from Fong Chow [2]

  From 1990

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Mr. and Mrs. John Gilmore and Berthe Ford [3]

  Notes:

  [1] See letter from Fong Chow to Carol Bolon, dated September 25, 1990, copy in object file. Fong Chow states in his letter that this object “was in my possession before 1973."

  Fong Chow was a ceramicist, photographer, and a curator at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he worked for 25 years (1957-1982). Chow was also a collector of photography and Chinese art across various genres, including pottery, paintings, sculptures, metalworks, and textiles. Born in Tianjin, China, Chow became interested in Chinese art at the age of sixteen and he began collecting examples of pottery, painting and sculpture while living in Hong Kong. In 1947, Chow moved to the United States to study art and he attended the Boston Museum School (1947-1951) and the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University (1951-1954). Works from his collection may now be found at the Brooklyn Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian Institution Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum.

  [2] See letter from John Gilmore Ford to Fong Chow, dated July 17, 1990, copy in object file. Mr. Ford’s letter mentions that he purchased the set of eight “Jataka tale paintings” from Fong Chow.

  See Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession number M.84.219, which was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Ford in 1984.

  John Gilmore and Berthe Diane Ford (née Hanover) are collectors of art from India, Nepal, and Tibet art. Mr. Ford was a designer and appraiser from Baltimore, MD and had started collecting in the early 1960s. Mr. Ford first traveled to India and Nepal in 1963 to study and acquire Indian, Nepalese, and Tibetan works. Mr. Ford made three subsequent trips to South Asia in the 1960s and, by 1970, his collection contained over 150 objects. Born in Paris, France, Mrs. Ford grew up in New York, NY and was a translator at the United Nations. Prior to meeting her husband in 1971, Mrs. Ford had already formed her own collection of Indian and Tibetan paintings. The couple were married in New York in 1972 and together they have acquired objects during their travels and from sources in New York and London. Works from their collection may now be found at The Walters Art Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Newark Museum of Art, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

  [3] See memo from Becky Gregson to Milo Beach and Forrest McGill with the subject “Delivery of Thangka,” dated July 20, 1990. The object was transferred from John Gilmore Ford to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery for acquisition consideration on July 19, 1990.

  See also Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, “Acquisition Consideration Form,” approved on October 20, 1990, copy in object file. See also signed “Deed of Gift to the Arthur M. Sacker Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution,” copy in object file.

  Research updated September 22, 2023

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Object of the Bi-Month (April 25, 1991 to March 21, 2007)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Fong Chow (1923-2012)

  Mr. and Mrs. John Gilmore Ford

• Origin

  Tibet

• Credit Line

  Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John Gilmore Ford

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1600s, 1690s

• Name

  Chow, Fong, buddha, Ford, John Gilmore

• Place

  Tibet

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Thangka, Art, Reincarnation

• Culture

  Buddhists, Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings