Diwan Nawal Singh, Prime Minister of Datia
date: label: Date
content: ca. 1750
notes: label: School/Tradition
content: Datia school
label: Description
content: Dressed in an ink blue jama and a rich orange turban with a matching wave-patterned (leheriya) sash (patka), Nawal Singh sits beneath a cool white canopy. An enormous amber-colored bolster with gold leaf-shaped motifs supports him. Suitable to his status, attendants wait on him and one waves a peacock feathered fly-whisk (morchal), a symbol of royalty.
label: Inscriptions
content: An inscription at the top identifies Nawal Singh as a high-ranking civil officer (diwan).
label: Provenance
content: From 1750 to ?
label: Provenance
content: The Maharaja of the princely State of Datia.
label: Provenance
content: To 1964
label: Provenance
content: Ray E. Lewis (1923-2005), San Francisco, California. [1]
label: Provenance
content: From 1964 to 2001
label: Provenance
content: Ralph Benkaim (1914-2001), Beverly Hills, California, purchased from Ray E. Lewis in May 1964. [2]
label: Provenance
content: From 2001 to 2018
label: Provenance
content: Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, California, by inheritance from Ralph Benkaim in 2001. [3]
label: Provenance
content: From 2018
label: Provenance
content: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, partial gift and purchase from Catherine Glynn Benkaim. [4]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] Ralph Benkaim purchased the painting in 1964 from R.E. Lewis, San Francisco, several years before Indian paintings were classified as antiquities by the Indian government, according to his personal records via Catherine Glynn Benkaim.
label: Provenance
content: [2] See note 1.
label: Provenance
content: [3] See note 1.
label: Provenance
content: [4] See Acquisition Consideration Form, object file, Collections Management Office.
label: Collection
content: National Museum of Asian Art Collection
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Maharaja of Datia (active 18th century)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: R. E. Lewis, Inc. (active 1952-1999)
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: Datia, Madhya Pradesh state, India
topic: label: Topic
content: portrait
label: Topic
content: man
label: Topic
content: fan
label: Topic
content: courtier
label: Topic
content: India
label: Topic
content: statesman
label: Topic
content: hookah
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: S2018.1.19
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): 29.2 × 21.3 cm (11 1/2 × 8 3/8 in)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (overall): 32.8 × 24.7 cm (12 15/16 × 9 3/4 in)