Object Details
- Court
- Mughal Court
- School/Tradition
- Mughal school
- Label
- A young Hindu priest has brought food to an older reclusive Hindu ascetic. Accompanying him are two other holy men, perhaps Muslims; the man in the lower right may be a servant. The figures were probably copied from other paintings and simply arranged in this composition, which was a common practice in Mughal painting. Paintings of religious figures reflect Mughal tolerance of and interest in Hinduism and other religions, including Christianity. The inscription on the rock, now too effaced to read, originally gave the artist's name.
- Provenance
- ?-1942
- Henri Vever (1854-1942), method of acquisition unknown [1]
- 1942-1947
- Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947), bequest of Henri Vever [2]
- 1947-1986
- Francois Mautin (1907-2003), bequest of Jeanne Louise Monthiers and Henri Vever [3]
- From 1986
- Arthur M. Sackler Gallery purchased from Francois Mautin [4]
- Notes:
- [1] An accomplished French jeweler and collector, Henri Vever (1854-1942) amassed a large and impressive collection of works of art during his lifetime. His holdings in Japanese prints and Islamic arts of the books, especially from Iran and India, were among the most important assembled in the early twentieth century. Its unclear when and from where Vever acquired this work, but it was in his collection at the time of his death.
- [2] Upon Henri Vever’s death on September 25, 1942, his wife, Jeanne Louise Monthiers inherited the work. See exhibits F and G of Agreement of Purchase and Sale of the Henri Vever Collection, January 9, 1986, copy in object file.
- [3] Upon the death of Jeanne Louise Monthiers, as stipulated in the will of Henri Vever, the family’s assets were divided evenly between his two grandchildren. His only grandson, Francois Mautin inherited the collection known as “The Henri Vever Collection of Oriental Art and Manuscripts Including Persian and Indian Art and Manuscripts.” This work is part of that collection. See exhibits F and G as cited in note 2.
- [4] The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery purchased the entirety of the collection from Francois Mautin on January 9, 1986. See purchase agreement, copy in object file.
- Research updated August 22, 2023.
- Collection
- Arthur M. Sackler Collection
- Exhibition History
- Light of the Sufis: The Mystical Arts of Islam (May 16, 2010 to August 08, 2010)
- Other Worldly Visions: Persian and Indian Paintings from the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (March 27, 1998 to May 10, 1998)
- Arts of Mughal India (1992) (May 24 to December 6, 1992)
- A Jeweler's Eye: Islamic Arts of the Book from the Vever Collection (November 20, 1988 to April 30, 1989)
- Previous custodian or owner
- Henri Vever (1854-1942)
- Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947)
- Francois Mautin (1907-2003)
- Data Source
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
- Date
- ca. 1670
- Period
- Mughal dynasty
- Credit Line
- Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
- Medium
- Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (overall): 42.2 x 32.1 cm (16 5/8 x 12 5/8 in)
- Type
- Painting
