An English Gig

Object Details

• Artist

  Sheikh Muhammad Amir (19th century)

• School/Tradition

  Company school

• Provenance

  Ca. 1840-?

  Unidentified individual, probably British, commissioned or purchased from the artist, Sheikh Muhammad Amir (19th century) in India [1]

  ?-?

  Ownership information unknown

  ?-1968

  Faerber and Maison, Ltd. (active 1964-1972), London, England, method of acquisition unknown [2]

  1968-1997

  Lodewijk Houthakker (1926-2009), method of acquisition unknown [3]

  1996

  Sale, London, Spink & Son, Ltd. (established 1666), “A Journey Through India: A Company School Pictures,” October 9-November 1, 1996, lot 3 [4]

  Possibly 1996-1997

  Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. (active 1990-2013), New York, NY, possibly purchased at October 9-November 1, 1996, Spink & Son, Ltd. Sale, London [5]

  From 1997

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, purchase from Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. [6]

  Notes:

  [1] See Milo Beach, “The Imperial Image: paintings from the Mughal Court” (Washington, DC and Ahmedabad: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Mapin International, Inc., 2012), pp. 191-192. This work was probably produced for a British individual, and it was most likely taken to the United Kingdom during the nineteenth century.

  Sheikh Muhammad Amir produced individual images and sets of pictures both on commission and for the open commercial market.

  [2] See Peter Fuhring, “Design into Art: Drawings for Architecture and Ornament, The Lodewijk Houthakker Collection,” vol. 1, (London: P. Wilson Publishers, 1989), pp. 440-441, no. 725, ill. The provenance is described as “Faerber and Maison 1968.”

  Faerber and Maison, Ltd. (active 1964-1972) was located at 36 New Bond Street in London, England, and specialized in the sale of Old Master and modern paintings and drawings. Christian Faerber (1901-1967) and Stefanie H. Maison (d. after 1994) developed the firm. Faerber, born in Naples, Italy, studied art history in Munich, Germany and later relocated to Berlin. Berlin it is likely that Faerber met, Karl Eric Maison (1900-1971), who ultimately wed Stefanie H. Maison. Because of the rise of the Nazi Party, Faerber, Karl, and Matthiesen left Germany in the 1930s; by 1960 the trio had settled in London, where Karl and Stefanie married in 1948. The newlyweds worked for Matthiessen. After Matthiesen’s death, Stefanie and Faerber established Faerber and Maison, Ltd. Stefanie Maison, who specialized in French drawings, continued to run the dealership after Faerber’s death in 1967 and she eponymously renamed the dealership in 1972. In 1977, Maison joined the London art dealership Hazlitt, Gooden & Fox, Ltd.’s board of directors (established 1752) and in 1994 she joined the Comité Honoré Daumier (founded 1994).

  [3] See note 1.

  Lodewijk Houthakker (1926-2008; active 1957-1998/2008) was a Dutch dealer and collector of European prints and drawings. Houthakker owned an eponymous art dealership at Rokin 98 in Amsterdam, which his father Bernard (1884-1963; active 1901-1963) had first established in 1909. Houthakker became a partner in his father’s business in 1957. The art dealership was officially liquidated in 1998 but Houthakker worked for a time from his familial home on Herengracht. Over the course of his life, Houthakker formed an important collection of design and ornament drawings, which was ultimately auctioned at Christie's in New York on January 11, 1994.

  [4] See Spink & Son, “A Journey Through India: A Company School Pictures,” [sale catalogue] (London: Spink & Son, Ltd., 1996), lot 3, ill. Object is described as “Design for A Gig.”

  Spink & Son, Ltd. (established 1666) is an auction house headquartered in London, England specializing in numismatics, philatelic items, and other collectables. Previously, Spink & Son had departments specializing in fine art and Asian antiques.

  [5] See “Incoming Receipt,” dated April 18, 1997, copy in object file. The object was transferred from Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery for acquisition consideration on April 18, 1997.

  See also invoice from Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd. issued by Terence McInerney, dated December 18, 1997, copy in object file. Object is described as “An English Gig.”

  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.

  [6] See Arthur M. Sackler, “Acquisition Consideration Form,” approved on December 16, 1997, copy in object file.

  Research updated July 31, 2023

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India Company (December 4, 2019 to April 19, 2020)

  Changing Tastes: Indian Paintings of the 18th and 19th Century (December 17, 2000 to July 15, 2001)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Faerber and Maison, Ltd. (active 1964-1972)

  Lodewijk Houthakker (1926-2008)

  Spink & Son Ltd. (established 1666)

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

• Origin

  Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal state, India

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1830s, 1850s

• Name

  Faerber and Maison, Ltd., McInerney, Terence, Spink & Son Ltd., Houthakker, Lodewijk

• Place

  Kolkata Calcutta, West Bengal state, India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Gig

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings