Object Details
Court
Bundelkhand Court
School/Tradition
Central Indian school
Provenance
At least 1961-1963
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006), method of acquisition unknown probably in India [1]
1963-1964
Gordon H. Mattison (1915-1999), purchased from John Kenneth Galbraith in New Delhi, India [2]
1964-1986
Gordon H. and Alma H. Mattison (1921-2007), owned jointly [3]
From 1986
National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, gift from Gordon H. and Alma H. Mattison [4]
Notes:
[1] See letter from Gordon H. Mattison to Milo Beach, dated December 11, 1986, copy in object file. Gordon H. Mattison’s letter states, “I have owned the donated painting for 23 years, having purchased them in New Delhi from Ambassador [John Kenneth] Galbraith while on a survey trip from the National Interdepartmental Seminar in 1963.”
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006) was an American (born Canada) economist, public official, diplomat, professor, and collector of Indian paintings. Under President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), Galbraith served as the US Ambassador to India from 1961 to 1963, and he documented his tenure in his book, “Ambassador's Journal: A Personal Account of the Kennedy Years” (1969). It was during his time in India that Galbraith became a collector and advocate of Indian paintings. Upon his return to the United States, he engaged Stuart Cary Welch (1928-2008) at Harvard University and Milo Beach to coordinate the Asia House Gallery exhibition, “Gods, Thrones, and Peacocks” in 1965, which featured the collections of Galbraith, Welch, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929-1994). He also co-authored the book, “Indian Painting: The Scene, Theme and Legends” (1968), with Dr. Mohinder Singh Randhawa (1909-1986). Galbraith served as an instructor at Harvard University for many decades, and he donated much of his collection to the Harvard University Art Museum between 1971 and 2001.
[2] See note 1.
See also incoming receipt, dated December 4, 1986, copy in object file. The object was transferred from Gordon H. Mattison to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery for acquisition consideration on December 4, 1986.
Gordon H. Mattison (1915-1999) was a Foreign Service Officer for the US Department of State and specialized in Middle Eastern affairs. Born in Washington, DC, Mattison grew up in India where he attended the Woodstock School in Mussoorie, India. Mattison entered the Foreign Service in 1937 and between 1939 and 1946 he was posted at US embassies in Baghdad, Cairo, Beirut, and Damascus. He became the Chief of the Division of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs in 1948. He studied Arabic at Princeton University and was subsequently posted in US embassies in Cairo and Tehran between 1950-1957. Between 1957-1959, he served as the Consul General in Calcutta and Kathmandu, Nepal. Mattison married Alma B. Harrington in 1964. He retired in 1968 and died in Bethesda, MD in 1999.
[3] See signed “Deed of Gift to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery,” copy in object file.
[4] See note 3.
From 1986-2023, the object was part of the National Museum of Asian Art’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection and on March 21, 2023, the work was internally transferred to the National Museum of Asian Art Collection.
Research updated August 8, 2024
Collection
National Museum of Asian Art Collection
Previous custodian or owner
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006)
Gordon H. Mattison (1915-1999)
Alma H. Mattison (1921-2007)
Credit Line
Gift of Gordon H. and Alma H. Mattison
Date
ca. 1775
Accession Number
S1986.560
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Painting
Medium
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 22.4 x 24 cm (8 13/16 x 9 7/16 in)
Origin
Datia, Madhya Pradesh state, Central India
Related Online Resources
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See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
Hinduism
Krishna
playing
man
poetry
kite
India
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_S1986.560