Portrait of a young Sikh man leaning over a balustrade

Object Details

• Label

  Quirky and naïve, this is an exuberant portrait of undeniable charm. The bouyant arcs of the marble arch and brass bannisters provide a pleasing contrast to sitter's worried expression, slumped posture, and the relaxed curves of his turban, beard and shoulders; the limited palette of gray, white and peach is energized by the rhythmic pattern of golden yellow against gray in the lower half, the bold red horizontal that bisects the composition. Touches of pink (on the sitters' lips, turban cloth, shawl and around the marble arch) moreover pick up on and resonate with the warm peach of the sitter's skin.

  The sitter is represented with two left hands.

• Provenance

  To 1988

  Hans Peter Kraus (d. 1988), Vienna, Austria, New York, New York, and Ridgefield, Connecticut [1]

  ?

  Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd., New York, New York

  From ? to 2002

  Sam Fogg, Rare Books and Manuscripts, London [2]

  From 2002 to 2018

  Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, California, purchased from Sam Fogg, Rare Books and Manuscripts, London in July 2002 [3]

  From 2018

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, partial gift and purchase from Catherine Glynn Benkaim [4]

  Notes:

  [1] Hans Peter Kraus operated a Rare Books shop (H.P. Kraus) in New York City until his death in 1988. It is unknown when Hans Peter Kraus or H.P. Kraus had acquired this painting.

  [2] According to information from Catherine Glynn Benkaim.

  [3] See note 2.

  [4] See Acquisition Consideration Form, object file, Collections Management Office.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Previous custodian or owner

  Hans Peter Kraus (died 1988)

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

  Sam Fogg, Ltd. (established 1986)

  Catherine Glynn Benkaim

• Origin

  Lahore, Punjab province, Pakistan

• 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

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1800s, 1790s

• Name

  Benkaim, Catherine Glynn, McInerney, Terence, Fogg, Sam, Kraus, Hans Peter

• Place

  Pakistan, Lahore, Punjab province

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection, Men, Portraits

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings