Skull Drum

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

  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, 1890s

• Name

  Jigme Thutob Wangchuk, Tenzin, Kandell, Alice S., Rudko, Philip J., Kism

• Place

  Tibet

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Tantra, Alice S. Kandell Collection, Bone

• Culture

  Buddhists, Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Musical instruments

• On View

  Yes