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At A Glance

On View
  • Period

    possibly 19th century
  • Geography

    Tibet
  • Material

    Human bone (skull), dyed leather, brocade silk banner, coral and turquoise ornaments
  • Dimension

    H x W x D (Without silk banner): 12.1 × 14.3 × 7.6 cm (4 3/4 × 5 5/8 × 3 in)
  • Accession Number

    S2020.5.5
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_S2020.5.5

Object Details

  • Provenance

    ? to No Later Than Late 1980s
    A Reting Rinpoche, method of acquisition unknown [1]
    By Late 1980s to Late 1980s
    Kism and her family method of acquisition unknown [2]
    Late 1980s
    Philip Rudko, purchased from Kism in New York, NY [3]
    From Late 1980s to 2020
    Alice Kandell, purchased from Philip Rudko in New York, NY [4]
    From 2020
    Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Alice Kandell, New York, NY [5]
    Notes:
    [1] According to Philip Rudko, interviewed by Joanna M. Gohmann on November 6, 2020, notes in accession file. As abbot of Reting Monastery in Central Tibet, the Reting Rinpoche is an important Tibetan Buddhist leader whose role may include selection of the next Dalai Lama.
    [2] See interview referenced in note 1. Rudko reports that he never learned Kism's last name and is unsure if Kism did in fact have a last name. Tibetan individuals around that time were reluctant to share their family name -- if they had one -- when selling objects like this one, as items like this typically stayed within a family.
    [3] See interview referenced in note 1. Philip Rudko, born just outside New York City in northern New Jersey, is a Russian Orthodox priest and art conservator, specializing in Tibetan objects. He works with the collector Alice Kandell as the curator of her personal collection.
    [4] See interview referenced in note 1. Alice Kandell is a private collector, who for decades acquired hundreds of bronze sculptures, thangkas, textile banners, painted furniture and ritual implements. Her interest in Tibetan art and culture began during her college years, when she took the first of many trips to Sikkim, Tibet and Ladakh. Throughout her career as a child psychologist in New York, she continued to pursue her love of Tibetan Buddhist sacred art, traveling, collecting and documenting the art and culture of the region in two books of photography, Sikkim: The Hidden Kingdom (Doubleday) and Mountaintop Kingdom: Sikkim (Norton).
    [5] The object was formally accessioned into the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection on December 18, 2020. See Acquisition Consideration Form, object file.
  • Collection

    Arthur M. Sackler Collection
  • Exhibition History

    The Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room (March 12, 2022 - ongoing)
    Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice Across Asia (October 14, 2017 to February 6, 2022)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Alice S. Kandell
    Philip J. Rudko
    Kism
    Reting Rinpoche Tenzin Jigme Thutob Wangchuk (1948-1997)
  • Origin

    Tibet
  • Credit Line

    The Alice S. Kandell Collection
  • Type

    Musical Instrument
  • On View

    Sackler Gallery 26a: The Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room
  • Restrictions and Rights

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