Object Details
Court
Malwa Court
School/Tradition
Central Indian school
Provenance
?-1913
Unidentified individual, Delhi, India, method of acquisition unknown [1]
1913-1923
Dr. Ananda K. Coomaraswamy (1877-1947), purchased from Unidentified individual in Delhi, India [2]
From 1923
National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, purchased from Dr. Ananda K. Coomaraswamy [3]
Notes:
[1] See Ananda Coomaraswamy, “Catalogue of the Indian Collections in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Part V, Rajput Painting” [book], (Cambridge: Harvard university Press, 1926), p. 71. The publication indicates that this Ragamala series was previously in the collection of Ananda K. Coomaraswamy. Coomaraswamy’s collection “originally contained twenty-three of the series, and these were obtained [by him] in Delhi [in 1913] […].”
[2] See note 1.
Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy was an art historian, curator, and collector of South Asian art. Born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Coomaraswamy grew up in England where he received a doctorate in geology. Coomaraswamy was active as a geologist until 1910, when he became interested in the arts of Ceylon and India. He became deeply committed to introducing Western audiences to Indian art. In 1917, he accepted a curatorial post at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where he remained until his death.
[3] See object file for copy of The National Commission of Fine Arts purchase list, dated December 14, 1923, marked as approved on December 15, 1923. Object is one of the “7 Rajput paintings” described.
The object is part of the museum’s Freer Gallery of Art Collection.
Research updated July 19, 2024
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History
South and South East Asian Art (May 9, 1993 to February 7, 2000)
Hindu and Buddhist Art (January 28, 1981 to September 24, 1981)
Indian Art (January 1, 1963 to January 28, 1981)
Untitled Exhibition, South Asian Paintings, Gallery 7 (January 10, 1945 to October 2, 1947)
Untitled Exhibition, South Asian Paintings, Gallery 4 (May 5, 1933 to January 9, 1945)
Untitled Exhibition, Persian Art (March 14, 1931 to May 5, 1933)
Near Eastern Pottery and Persian Painting (May 2, 1923 to March 14, 1931)
Previous custodian or owner
Dr. Ananda K. Coomaraswamy (1877-1947)
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Date
ca. 1640
Accession Number
F1923.7
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Painting
Medium
Color on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 18 x 13.8 cm (7 1/16 x 5 7/16 in)
Style
Malwa style
Origin
Madhya Pradesh state, Malwa, India
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
music
drum
ragamala
India
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_F1923.7