Vishnu as Vamana (dwarf-avatar)

Object Details

• School/Tradition

  South Indian school

• Provenance

  Early 18th century-?

  Ownership information unknown, possibly Tirupati, Tamil Nadu state, India [1]

  At least ca. 1940-?

  Ramanand Chattopadhya, method of acquisition unknown [2]

  ?-possibly ca. 1965

  Chunilal Nowlakha (active 1950-?), method of acquisition unknown [3]

  Possibly ca. 1965-?

  Possibly Arthur Tooth & Sons, Ltd. (active 1842-1972), London, England, possibly purchased from Chunilal Nowlakha in India [4]

  Possibly ca. 1965-?

  Possibly unidentified individual, England, possibly purchased from Chunilal Nowlakha in India [5]

  ?-possibly before 1972

  Possibly Arthur Tooth & Sons, Ltd., possibly purchased from unidentified individual, England [6]

  Possibly before 1972-?

  Unidentified individual, purchased from Arthur Tooth & Sons, Ltd. [7]

  ?-1996

  Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. (active 1990-2013), New York, NY, probably acquired from unidentified individual [8]

  From 1996

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, purchased from Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. [9]

  Notes:

  [1] See "Beyond the Legacy: Anniversary Acquisitions for the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery," (Washington, DC: Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1998), pp. 196-197.

  [2] See invoice from Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. issued by Terence McInerney, dated June 25, 1996, copy in object file. Object is described as “A South Indian Painting on Cloth.” The provenance is described as, “Ex Collection: Ramanand Chattopadhya, Calcutta (ca. 1940) [/] C. L. Nowlakha, Calcutta (ca. 1965) [/] Private collection.”

  See also letter from Terence McInerney of Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd., to Thomas Lentz, dated October 25, 1996, copy in object file. Terence McInerney states in the letter, “[T]he previous owner acquired it from the London art dealing firm of Tooth Ltd. It had been purchased in India in circa 1965, either by one of the Tooth brothers, or by the English collector from whom the Tooths subsequently acquired it.”

  [3] See note 2, Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. invoice and letter.

  Chunilal Nowlakha (C. L. Nowlakha) was a dealer of Indian antiques in Kolkata (Calcutta), India beginning early 1950. Nowlakha lived in Kolkata’s Zachariah Street, however his native home was in the Jiyagunge Azimgunge region of the Murshidabad district. Under the mentorship of Gambhirsingh Sethia (also from Azimgunge), Nowlakha began selling European objects and paintings after 1975 and established a well-known shop called Saroj on Camac Street in Kolkata. Nolakha’s clients included dealer and collectors such as Stella Kramrisch (1896-1993); Alice Boney (1901-1988); William Wolff (1906-1991); Alice Heeramaneck (née Arvine) (1910-1993); Samuel Eilenberg (1913-1998); Doris Wiener (née Levin) (1923-2011). His acquaintances included Pratapaditya Pal, Jagdish Mittal, and possibly Mark Zebrowski (1945-1999). Objects from Nowlakha’s stock may now be found in the National Museum, New Delhi; the Jagdish and Kamla Mittal Museum of Indian Art, Hyderabad; and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

  [4] See note 2, Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. invoice and letter.

  Arthur Tooth & Sons, Ltd. (active 1842-1972) was a prominent art gallery in London, England founded by Charles Tooth (1788-1868) for his son Arthur Tooth (1828-1900). The firm initially concentrated on eighteenth and nineteenth century British painting until the 1880s. After that date, it expanded its stock to include contemporary art and occasionally works by Old Masters. A New York branch was established in the 1900s and closed in 1924. Arthur’s son, Dudley William Tooth (1896-1972), joined the firm in the mid-1920s and the firm closed following his death.

  [5] See note 2, Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. invoice and letter.

  [6] See note 2, Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. letter.

  [7] See note 2, Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. letter.

  [8] See “Incoming Receipt,” dated June 26, 1996, copy in object file. The object was transferred from Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. (Terence McInerney) to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery for acquisition consideration on June 26, 1996.

  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.

  [9] See Arthur M. Sackler, “Acquisition Consideration Form,” approved on November 3, 1996, copy in object file.

  Research updated July 28, 2023

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Previous custodian or owner

  Ramanand Chattopadhyaya

  C. L. Nowlakha

  Arthur Tooth & Sons Ltd. (active 1842-1972)

  Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. (active 1990-2013)

• Origin

  Possibly Tirupati, Tamil Nadu state, India

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1700s, 1730s

• Name

  Nowlakha, C. L., Chattopadhyaya, Ramanand, McInerney, Terence, Arthur Tooth & Sons Ltd.

• Place

  Tirupati, Tamil Nadu state, India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Vishnu, Incarnation, Art, Chakra, Dwarf, Vamana, Umbrellas, Lotus

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians, Naga (South Asian people), Hindus

• Object Type

  Paintings