Before Rama and Lakshmana, Sugriva grieves for the death of Bali, folio from a Ramayana

Rama and Lakshmana kneel on a striped dhuri, against a red background. On the right Sugriva and a monkey attendant emerge from a grove of palm trees. Sugriva kneels, head down and arms outstretched.

Historical period(s)
ca. 1630
School
Malwa school
Medium
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 17.8 × 22.9 cm (7 × 9 in)
Geography
India, Madhya Pradesh state, Malwa
Credit Line
Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — funds provided by the Friends of the Freer and Sackler Galleries
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S2018.1.70
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Painting

Keywords
India, Lakshmana, monkey, Ralph and Catherine Benkaim collection, Rama, Ramayana, Sugriva
Provenance

To 1979
Stuart Cary Welch (1928-2008), Warner, New Hampshire, Cambridge, Massachusetts [1]

To 1979
Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd., New York, New York [2]

From 1979 to 2001
Ralph Benkaim (1914-2001), Beverly Hills, California, purchased from Terence McInerney Fine Arts Ltd., New York, New York in May 1979 [3]

From 2001 to 2008
Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, California, by inheritance from Ralph Benkaim after his death in 2001

From 2018
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, partial gift and purchase from Catherine Glynn Benkaim [4]

Notes:

[1] It is unknown when Stuart Cary Welch purchased this painting.

[2] According to information from Catherine Glynn Benkaim.

[3] See note 1.

[4] See Acquisition Consideration Form, object file, Collections Management Office.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Terence McInerney Fine Arts, Ltd.
Ralph (1914-2001) and Catherine Benkaim
Stuart Cary Welch 1928-2008
Catherine Glynn Benkaim

Description

Rama and Lakshmana kneel on a striped dhuri, against a red background. On the right Sugriva and a monkey attendant emerge from a grove of palm trees. Sugriva kneels, head down and arms outstretched.

Inscription(s)

Verso: sugriva ne preeti tilya ramju ski jo tuma ek van so saton tad bhedo to vali mari Samarth ho
In a different hand: yeh pano pachpan ko (this is the fifty-fifth leaf)
Sugriva learned from Rama how to kill Bali with one arrow and how to kill seven with one arrow- Rama says if you kill seven with one arrow then you can kill Bali …trans: Shagufta Parekh
Devanagari numbers: 55

Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
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