Krishna bids farewell, folio from a Bhagavata Purana

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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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1690s, 1670s

• Name

  Benkaim, Ralph and Catherine, Benkaim, Catherine Glynn, Ivory, James K., Pitamber, Sunita, Boman-Behram, Ardeshir Kavasji

• Place

  Rajasthan state, Mewar, India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Krishna, Animals, Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection, Bhagavata Purana, Elephants, Palanquin

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings