Panel, possibly from a howdah or throne

Object Details

• School/Tradition

  Possibly Deccani school

• Provenance

  ?-possibly between 1960s and ca. 1983

  Unidentified source, method of acquisition unknown [1]

  Possibly between 1960s and ca. 1983-1993

  Sir Howard Hodgkin (1932-2017), purchased from an Unidentified source in London, England [2]

  From 1993

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Sir Howard Hodgkin [3]

  Notes:

  [1] See letter from Howard Hodgkin to Dr. Milo Beach, dated October 20, 1992, copy in object file.

  See also letter from James F. Lynch (provided by Terence McInerney), dated June 21, 1988, copy in object file. In James F. Lynch’s letter he states, “I have known Mr. Howard Hodgkin since [we? were?] students together in the 1950’s. […]. I cannot remember honestly when I saw the Indian wooden throne panel, for the first time, but it must have been sometime in the 1960’s, certainly before 1968.”

  See also letter from Terence McInerney to Dr. Milo Beach, Acting Director, dated June 28, 1988, copy in object file. In Terence McInerney’s letter he states, “Simon Digby, for example, remembers seeing it in the early 1970’s, although Howard is certain that he showed it to him long before that time.”

  See also memo from Milo Beach with the subject “Proposed gift from Howard Hodgkin,” dated January 12, 1993, copy in object file. According to the memo, Howard Hodgkin purchased this object in London about ten years prior.

  See also statement by Howard Hodgkin titled, “Howdah Panel Inlaid with Mother-of-Pearl,” dated January 26, 1993, copy in object file. The statement states, “I can no longer remember when I bought this object – as it is so long ago. To the best of my knowledge it has been out of India for over twenty years; and it was certainly acquired in London.”

  [2] See note 1.

  Sir Howard Hodgkin was an English painter and collector of Indian painting. He was awarded the Turner prize in 1985 and was knighted in 1992. In 1946, Hodgkin started collecting Indian paintings after he had been introduced to them while attending Eton College. Most Indian objects from Hodgkin’s collection may be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

  [3] See Arthur M. Sackler, “Acquisition Consideration Form,” approved on March 23, 1993, copy in object file.

  See also “Deed of Gift to the Arthur M. Sacker Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution,” dated April 20, 1993, copy in object file.

  Research updated June 21, 2023

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Previous custodian or owner

  Sir Howard Hodgkin (1932-2017)

• Origin

  India

• Credit Line

  Gift of Howard Hodgkin

• Type

  Furniture and Furnishing

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1600s, 1690s

• Name

  Hodgkin, Howard

• Place

  India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Inlay (process), Wood, Mughal dynasty (1526 - 1858)

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Furniture, Furnishings