Desakhya Ragini, folio from a Ragamala series

Object Details

• School/Tradition

  Central Indian school

• Provenance

  From at least 1970-?

  Doris Wiener Gallery, New York, NY, method of acquisition unknown [1]

  ?-2007

  Doris Konheim Rubin (1912-2007), method of acquisition unknown [2]

  2007-2008

  Estate of Doris Konheim Rubin [3]

  2008

  Sale, New York, Sotheby’s, “Indian and Southeast Asian Works of Art,” March 19, 2008, lot. 228 [4]

  2008-2018

  Catherine Glynn Benkaim, purchased at March 19, 2008, Sotheby’s Sale, New York [5]

  From 2018

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

  Notes:

  [1] The painting was published by the Doris Wiener Gallery in the 1970 exhibition catalogue, “Indian Miniature Paintings: Annual Exhibition.” See Doris Wiener Gallery, “Indian Miniature Paintings: Annual Exhibition, April 4-May 30, 1970,” [exhibition catalogue], (New York: Doris Wiener Gallery, 1970), no. 51, p. 46, illustrated. Object is described as "Desakhya Ragini."

  Information provided by Catherine Glynn Benkaim prior to acquisition. See the Curator’s pre-acquisition notes titled, “Desakhya Ragini, folio from a Ragamala series,” undated (ca. May 2, 2019), pp. 150-151, copy in object file.

  Doris Wiener Gallery in New York, NY specialized in the sale of Indian and Southeast Asian art. Founder Doris Wiener (1922-2011), first traveled to India and Southeast Asia in 1966 and began exhibiting and selling art from those regions in the late 1960s. Since her death in 2011, there have been allegations that Weiner trafficked in antiquities.

  [2] In response to a request for more information, Sotheby’s Senior Vice President for the Department of Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art, stated that the object was “one of a pair” and both were consigned to the “Indian and Southeast Asian Works of Art” sale (March 19, 2008) by the Estate of Doris Konheim Rubin. Both objects in the pair were purchased by Catherine Glynn Benkaim from the sale. See email from the Senior Vice President, Department of Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art, Sotheby’s (New York) to the Curatorial Assistant for South and Southeast Asian Art, dated November 29, 2017, copy in object file.

  See also letter from the Curator and the Curatorial Fellow to Sotheby’s Senior Vice President for the Department of Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art, dated November 20, 2017, copy in object file.

  See also Sotheby’s, “Indian and Southeast Asian Works of Art [Including Indian Miniature Paintings]” [auction catalogue], (New York: Sotheby’s, 2008), pp. 38-39, lot 228. Object was part of a pair, described as “Three Illustrations from Ragamala Series: A Double-Sided Folio Depicting Kunkubha and Kamoda Raginis and Desakhya Raga.” In 2018, Mrs. Benkaim partially sold and gifted the other object from the pair to the Cleveland Museum of Art, see CMA object number 2018.128.

  Doris Konheim Rubin (1912-2007) was a New York collector and patron of the arts. Rubin collected South and Southeast Asian, Japanese, and American art. Objects from her collection can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

  [3] See note 2.

  [4] See note 2.

  [5] See note 1, pre-acquisition notes, p. 150.

  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 acquire 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 30, 2023

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Indian Miniature Paintings: Annual Exhibition (April 4 to May 30, 1970)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Doris Wiener Gallery

  Doris Konheim Rubin (1912-2007)

  Estate of Doris Konheim Rubin

  Catherine Glynn Benkaim

• Origin

  Malwa, Madhya 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

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1670s, 1660s

• Name

  Doris Wiener Gallery, Rubin, Doris Konheim, Benkaim, Catherine Glynn, Estate of Doris Konheim Rubin

• Place

  Madhya Pradesh state, Malwa, India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection, Ragamala, Wrestling

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings