Scenes from the life of the Buddha

Object Details

• Provenance

  ? and ?-?

  Carnig Kevorkian, purchased in Dargeelin, near Pishavar (now Peshawar), India (now Pakistan) [1]

  ?-1949

  Hagop Kevorkian, New York, NY, acquired from Carnig Kevorkian [2]

  From 1949

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Hagop Kevorkian [3]

  Notes:

  [1] On May 15, 1956, Curator John A. Pope wrote to Hagop Kevorkian inquiring about this object’s provenance. See outgoing letter from John A. Pope to Hagop Kevorkian, dated May 15, 1956, copy in object file.

  On May 17, 1956, Kevorkian replied that “[t]he Ghandaran [Gandharan] slab was bought in two trips to India by my brother, at Dargeelin near Pishavar [(now Peshawar)], North India [(now Pakistan)]. One part was excavated first and the next year the rest of the set was offered to him.” See John A. Pope, object record sheet remark, dated 1956, p. 2, copy in object file. A copy of Kevorkian’s May 17, 1956 correspondence is not in the object file. Pope transcribed Kevorkian’s reply onto the object record sheet.

  Carnig Kevorkian is a dealer and collector of Ancient Near Eastern, Islamic, and Indian art in Paris, France. In 1923, Carnig opened Galerie Kevorkian at 21 quai Malaquais in Paris, where it has remained ever since. Carnig’s daughter Anne-Marie Kevorkian (1929-2013) and granddaughter Corinne, took over management of Galerie Kevorkian in 1964 and 2006, respectively.

  [2] See note 1.

  Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962) was a dealer and collector of Islamic art with eponymous galleries in New York and Paris.

  [3] See object file for copy of Hagop Kevorkian invoice to Freer Gallery of Art, dated June 27, 1949, and marked approved on July 1, 1949. The object is described as “Stone Relief, life of the Buddha, Ghandharan [Gandharan] Art.”

  Research updated April 6, 2023

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Body Image (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  Arts of the Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas (October 16, 2004 to January 3, 2016)

  Buddhist Art (May 9, 1993 to September 21, 2004)

  The Arts of South Asia (May 13, 1985 to December 2, 1985)

  The Ramayana (July 18, 1983 to April 15, 1984)

  Hindu and Buddhist Art (April 1, 1982 to July 18, 1983)

  Hindu and Buddhist Art (January 28, 1981 to September 24, 1981)

  Indian Art (January 1, 1963 to January 28, 1981)

  Untitled Exhibition, South Asian Art, Gallery 8 (July 15, 1958 to January 1, 1963)

  Centennial Exhibition, West Corridor (February 25, 1956 to July 11, 1958)

  Untitled Exhibition, South Asian Paintings and Sculpture (October 2, 1947 to February 25, 1956)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Carnig Kevorkian (1187-1964)

  Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962)

• Origin

  Pakistan or Afghanistan

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Sculpture

• On View

  Freer Gallery 02: Body Image: Arts of the Indian Subcontinent

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  100s, 200s

• Name

  buddha, Kevorkian, Carnig, Kevorkian, Hagop

• Place

  Afghanistan, Pakistan

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Worship, Art, Kushan dynasty (1st century BCE - 299 CE), Enlightenment, Parinirvana, Preaching, Bodhi tree, Monk, Birth, Stone, Queen Maya

• Culture

  Buddhists, Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Sculpture

• On View

  Yes