Krishna bids farewell, folio from a Bhagavata Purana

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At A Glance

  • Period

    ca.1680-1690
  • Geography

    Mewar, Rajasthan state, India
  • Material

    Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
  • Dimension

    H x W (painting): 20 × 39.4 cm (7 7/8 × 15 1/2 in)
  • Accession Number

    S2018.1.22
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_S2018.1.22

Object Details

  • School/Tradition

    Mewar school
  • Description

    Krishna embraces his father in the upper left corner then proceeds on a palanquin with the Pandava brothers, led by an elephant and followed by musicians. Ladies pay homage to the procession from balconies overhead.
  • Provenance

    Ari K. Bohman Behran, Mumbai and London (1909-2000) [1]
    Rani Sunita Pitamber, Mumbai or London [2]
    To 1972
    James K. Ivory, New York, New York, purchased from Rani Sunita Pitamber at unknown date [3]
    From 1972 to 2001
    Ralph Benkaim (1914-2001), purchased from James Ivory in New York City in November 1972 [4]
    From 2001 to 2018
    Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, California, by inheritance from Ralph Benkaim in 2001
    From 2018
    Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, partial gift and purchase from Catherine Glynn Benkaim
    Notes:
    [1] Date of ownership is unknown. See note 3.
    [2] Date of ownership is unknown. See note 3.
    [3] James K. Ivory, a filmmaker, was “sort of a semi-dealer” on the side. Mr. Benkaim purchased the painting from Mr. Ivory in New York City, where the filmmaker kept “bunches of paintings in his apartment.” Considering that Mr. Ivory was a collector who sold to friends and acquaintances from an apartment filled with paintings, it seems quite likely that the painting was out of India prior to September 1972.
    According to Catherine Glynn Benkaim, May 23-24, 2016, James Ivory purchased this painting from Rani Sunita Pitambar, the Rani of Pitambar. The rani acquired the painting from Bohman Behran in either Bombay or London. Bohman Behran arrived in London in 1948 and worked at the Royal London Hospital of Homeopathy until 1951. From the 1960s until the late 1990s, he was an allopathic and homeopathic doctor practicing in Harley Street and Camden Town, where he presumably sold or gave the painting to the Rani. See http://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/mar/08/guardianobituaries2.
    [4] According to information from Catherine Glynn Benkaim.
  • Collection

    National Museum of Asian Art Collection
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Ardeshir Kavasji Boman-Behram (1909-2000)
    Rani Sunita Pitamber (Indian, 20th century)
    James K. Ivory (born 1928)
    Ralph and Catherine Benkaim
    Catherine Glynn Benkaim
  • Origin

    Mewar, Rajasthan state, India
  • Credit Line

    Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — funds provided by the Friends of the National Museum of Asian Art
  • Type

    Painting
  • Restrictions and Rights

    CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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