Krishna steals the clothes of the gopis, folio from a Bhagavata Purana

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At A Glance

  • Period

    ca. 1690-1700
  • Geography

    Bikaner, Rajasthan state, India
  • Material

    Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
  • Dimension

    H x W (painting): 17.2 × 12.4 cm (6 3/4 × 4 7/8 in)
  • Accession Number

    S2018.1.46
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_S2018.1.46

Object Details

  • School/Tradition

    Bikaner school
  • Inscriptions

    Recto: 31
    Verso in nagari script: gopiyan keva satra hara kadam parchad. In a smaller, neater hand: dasam rai adhyaya ba 22 pano…2. Purple stamp and Khet Singh signature stamped out with purple ink. Various other inventory numbers.
    Verso in nagari script: gopiyan keva satra hara kadam parchad. In a smaller, neater hand: dasam rai adhyaya ba 22 pano…2. Purple stamp and Khet Singh signature stamped out with purple ink. Various other inventory numbers.
  • Provenance

    From 1690 to possibly ca. 1960s
    Bikaner royal family, (modern-day Rajasthan, India) [1]
    To 1978
    Toby Falk (1942-1997), London [2]
    From 1978 to 2001
    Ralph Benkaim (1914-2001), Beverly Hills, California, purchased from Toby Falk, London in April 1978 [3]
    From 2001 to 2018
    Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, California, ownership was transferred after the death of her husband, Ralph Benkaim in 2001 [3]
    From 2018
    Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, partial gift and purchase from Catherine Glynn Benkaim [4]
    Notes:
    [1] According to information given by Catherine Glynn Benkaim on June 14, 2016, the Raja of Bikaner began selling off his collection in the 1960s.
    [2] According to information from Ralph Benkaim’s record, communicated through Catherine Glynn Benkaim.
    [3] See note 2.
    [4] See Acquisition Justification Form, object file, Collections Management Office.
    [5] See note 4
  • Collection

    National Museum of Asian Art Collection
  • Exhibition History

    Vishnu: Hindu's Blue-skinned Saviour (February to October, 2011)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Maharaja of Bikaner (Bikaner, Rajasthan state, India)
    Toby Falk (1942-1997)
    Ralph (1914-2001) and Catherine Benkaim
    Catherine Glynn Benkaim
  • Origin

    Bikaner, Rajasthan state, India
  • Credit Line

    Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — funds provided by the Friends of the Freer and Sackler Galleries
  • Type

    Painting
  • Restrictions and Rights

    CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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