Object Details
Provenance
?-1980s
Sangye Tenzing (d. late 1980s or early 1990s), method of acquisition unknown [1]
1980s-at least 1994
Phillip J. Rudko, method of acquisition unknown from Sangye Tenzing in New York, NY [2]
At least 1994-2017
Alice S. Kandell, method of acquisition unknown from Phillip J. Rudko in New York, NY [3]
From 2017
National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Alice S. Kandell [4]
Notes:
[1] See “AK Shrine Checklist: 10/19/09 [/] updated with new sections/ catalog numbers,” dated October 19, 2009, p. 18. The object’s previous owner is identified as Sangye Tenzing.
See also “Alice Kandell Exhibition (March 2010) Provenance Draft Notes,” dated July 19, 2009, p. 7. Phillip J. Rudko acquired this object from Sangye Tenzing in the 1980s in New York, NY. Alice Kandell subsequently acquired the object from Rudko in New York, NY.
Sangye Tenzing (d. late 1980s or early 1990s) had a boarding house for Chinese tourists in Labrang Province (now Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province, China). He periodically traveled to New York, NY, probably to visit his son, a United States Marine. Works from Sange Tenzing are in every major US collection of Tibetan art. How Tenzing acquired objects is unknown.
[2] See note 1.
Phillip J. 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. Rudko acquired objects through purchase and by trading his restoration services for Tibetan objects.
[3] See note 1.
Alice S. 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).
[4] See the original Deed of Gift, dated March 18, 2011, copy in object file for S2011.10.
The object is part of the museum’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection.
Research updated January 6, 2025
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)
Doorway to an Enlightened World: The Tibetan Shrine from the Alice S. Kandell Collection (March 19 to November 27, 2016)
The Tibetan Shrine from the Alice S. Kandell Collection (March 13, 2010 to November 27, 2016)
Previous custodian or owner
Tenzing Sangye (died late 1980s or early 1990s)
Phillip J. Rudko
Alice S. Kandell
Credit Line
The Alice S. Kandell Collection
Date
mid 18th century
Accession Number
S2017.53
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Painting
Medium
Mineral pigments on sized cotton; original brocade mounts; dustcovers; rods, and end caps; saffron-colored ink handprints on the reverse of canvas
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 144.8 x 94 cm (57 x 37 in)
H x W (painting): 73.7 x 43.2 cm (29 x 17 in)
Origin
Eastern Tibet
On View
East Building (Arthur M. Sackler Gallery), Gallery 26a: The Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
Tibet
South Asian and Himalayan Art
thangka
Alice S. Kandell Collection
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_S2017.53