Devi Tripurasundari, folio from a Mahavidya series

Object Details

• Artist

  School of Sanju (Kangra and Mandi, India)

• School/Tradition

  Sajnu school

• Description

  Seated on the pale white naked body of Shiva, the four-armed black skinned Devi holds a whisk, scissors, gold lota and white cup. She is clad in conventional skirt and top and a transparent shawl and wears a golden crown and lavish jewels. The couple are set on a raised marble platform with a canopy and surrounded by delicate foliage by a river.

• Provenance

  ?-?

  Possibly William H. Wolff, Inc., New York, NY, method of acquisition unknown [1]

  ?-1975

  Dr. Alec Simpson, method of acquisition unknown [2]

  1975-September 11, 2012

  Unidentified owner, purchased from Dr. Alec Simpson [3]

  September 11, 2012

  Sale, New York, Bonhams, “Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art,” September 11, 2012, lot. 93 [4]

  September 11, 2012-2018

  Catherine Glynn Benkaim, purchased at September 11, 2012, Bonhams Sale, New York [5]

  From 2018

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, purchase and partial gift from Catherine Glynn Benkaim [6]

  Notes:

  [1] See curatorial notes titled “Devi Tripurasundari, folio from a Mahavidya series,” dated May 2019, pp. 145-146, copy in object file. The notes indicate that the dealer number inscribed on the object’s verso – 02/253 – possibly belonged to William H. Wolff.

  [2] See note 1. The curatorial notes state that “the painting is published as having been sold by a Dr. Alec Simpson in 1975.”

  Dr. Alec Simpson was a collector of Indian painting during the 1970s and 1980s. Dr. Simpson lived in New Jersey.

  [3] See note 1.

  [4] See note 1. Described as “Illustration from a Mahavidya series: Tripurasundari Opaque watercolor on paper” and the provenance was described as “Dr. Alec Simpson Collection, New Jersey.” A total of eleven objects from the Dr. Alec Simpson Collection were for sale at the 2012 Bonhams auction.

  [5] See note 1. The museum contacted Bonhams for more information about the object’s provenance; Bonhams did not respond.

  Catherine Glynn Benkaim is collector and scholar in the field of Indian painting. Ms. Benkaim met her husband, Ralph Benkaim (1914-2001), in the 1970s when she was the curator of Indian painting at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Ralph Benkaim was an entertainment lawyer from Los Angeles who started collecting Indian and Islamic art in 1961. The couple were married 1979 and together they amassed a collection of Indian paintings, which included examples from all genres. They collected objects for their collection through dealers and auctions. Objects from their collection may also be found in the Cleveland Museum of Art, Williams College Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art, among others.

  [6] See “Appendix B Bill of Sale” and “Appendix C Donor Substantiation Letter,” dated January 2, 2018, copy in object file.

  Research updated January 24, 2023

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Previous custodian or owner

  Possibly William H. Wolff, Inc. (1906-1991)

  Dr. Alec Simpson

  Catherine Glynn Benkaim

• Origin

  Mandi, Himachal Pradesh 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

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1800s, 1790s

• Name

  Wolff, William H., Benkaim, Catherine Glynn, Simpson, Alec

• Place

  Mandi, Himachal Pradesh state, India

• Topic

  Pavilion, South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection, Shiva, Devi (Hindu deity)

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings