A page from a Book of Dreams/Omens
date: label: Date
content: ca. 1720
notes: label: School/Tradition
content: Mewar school
label: Label
content: According to this folio from a 'Book of Dreams,' a meditating ascetic in a lavender-tinged dawn landscape foretells health, prosperity, and happiness. Numbered 62 and classified as a shrestha (noble or excellent) omen, the folio belongs to a large dispersed series from Mewar related to the interpretation of dreams and omens. There must have been a special interest in dreams and omens at the Mewar court. Another complete 'Book of Dreams' is in the Government Museum of Udaipur.
label: Provenance
content: 1966
label: Provenance
content: Sale, London, Sotheby’s, Western and Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures, December 12, 1966, lot. 100: “A Sadhu outside his Hut” [1]
label: Provenance
content: From 1966 to 2001
label: Provenance
content: Ralph Benkaim (1914-2001), Beverly Hills, California, purchased at auction, “Western and Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures,” London, December 12, 1966, lot no. 100, “A Sadhu outside his Hut” [2]
label: Provenance
content: From 2001 to 2018
label: Provenance
content: Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, California, by inheritance from Ralph Benkaim in 2001
label: Provenance
content: From 2018
label: Provenance
content: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, partial gift and purchase from Catherine Glynn Benkaim
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] Ralph Benkaim purchased the painting from Sotheby’s London, December 1966, several years before the Indian government classified paintings as antiquities, according to his personal records, as relayed by Catherine Glynn Benkaim.
label: Provenance
content: [2] See note 1.
label: Collection
content: National Museum of Asian Art Collection
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Ralph and Catherine Benkaim
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Catherine Glynn Benkaim (born 1946)
place: label: Origin
content: Mewar, Rajasthan state, India
topic: label: Topic
content: landscape
label: Topic
content: meditation
label: Topic
content: ascetic
label: Topic
content: India
label: Topic
content: South Asian and Himalayan Art
label: Topic
content: Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection
setName: label: See more items in
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — funds provided by the Friends of the National Museum of Asian Art
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: S2018.1.26
objectType: label: Type
content: Painting
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (painting): 19.7 × 17.5 cm (7 3/4 × 6 7/8 in)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (overall): 25.7 × 21.6 cm (10 1/8 × 8 1/2 in)