The poet Sundar Das before Emperor Shah Jahan, folio from a <em>Sundar Shringar</em>
date: label: Date
content: ca. 1750-1760
name: label: Artist
content: Attributed to Nainsukh (active ca. 1710-1778)
notes: label: School/Tradition
content: Guler school
label: Marks
content: A purple stamped cartouche (the Mandi inventory stamp) with handwritten number 268.
label: Inscriptions
content: Verso: Four lines of devanagari script: a verse of Sundar
label: Inscriptions
content: Shah Jahan gave countless wealth to skilled men.
label: Inscriptions
content: Among them he honored the fine poet Sundar with much respect.
label: Inscriptions
content: He gave gemstones, ornaments, a land settlement,1 horses, elephants, a set of
label: Inscriptions
content: clothing. First he gave the title “King of poets,” then “Emperor of Poets.”
label: Inscriptions
content: The king of poets is a Brahman and a resident of Gwalior city.
label: Inscriptions
content: The emperor looks upon him with favor and is kindly.
label: Inscriptions
content: In another hand in devanagari script: Sri Badshah [the esteemed emperor] ordered [Sundar] to make [compose] the Sundar Shringar. On getting the emperor’s order, [the poet] obtained the blessings of Sri Vishnu and Saraswati and returned to his home.
label: Inscriptions
content: In another hand in devanagari script: Sri Badshah [the esteemed emperor] ordered [Sundar] to make [compose] the Sundar Shringar. On getting the emperor’s order, [the poet] obtained the blessings of Sri Vishnu and Saraswati and returned to his home.
label: Provenance
content: To 1940s
label: Provenance
content: Raja of Mandi [1]
label: Provenance
content: 1987
label: Provenance
content: Sale, London, Sotheby’s, Fine Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures, December 14, 1987, lot 87: “A Hill ruler, probably Raja Sidh Sen of Mandi, paying respects to a Mughal emperor who kneels on a canopied throne” [2]
label: Provenance
content: From 1987 to 2017
label: Provenance
content: Ralph Benkaim (1914-2001) and Catherine Glyn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, California, purchased at auction, “Fine Oriental Manuscripts and Miniatures,” Sotheby’s, London, December 14, 1987, lot no. 87, “A Hill ruler, probably Raja Sidh Sen of Mandi, paying respects to a Mughal emperor who kneels on a canopied throne” [3]
label: Provenance
content: From 2017
label: Provenance
content: Freer Gallery of Art, partial gift and purchase from Catherine Glynn Benkaim [4]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] The painting is believed to have been part of a large cache of Mandi paintings that were dispersed from the Mandi storerooms in the 1940s. The father of Mr. Bharany, who was based in Amritsar, was one of two dealers who handled their dispersal. About half the paintings went to Lahore; Mr. Mehra (a dealer in Delhi) and Coswajee Jahangir (a collector in Mumbai) were among those who acquired them in India, according to information from Catherine Glynn Benkaim, June 14, 2016.
label: Provenance
content: [2] See object file.
label: Provenance
content: [3] See Acquisition Consideration Form, object file, Collections Management Office.
label: Provenance
content: [4] See note 3.
label: Collection
content: Freer Gallery of Art Collection
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Raja of Mandi
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: Guler, Himachal Pradesh state, India
topic: label: Topic
content: portrait
label: Topic
content: poet
label: Topic
content: India
label: Topic
content: ruler
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 from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: F2017.13.4
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 (image): 14.7 × 23.6 cm (5 13/16 × 9 5/16 in)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (sheet): 19.5 × 28.6 cm (7 11/16 × 11 1/4 in)