The Dance and The Divine
The Bengt and Lilavati Häger Collection of Indian, Southeast Asian, Chinese and Japanese Art
The Dance and The Divine
EXH I BITION
4 - 17 June 2015 10 am - 6 pm Monday - Saturday 22 Connaught Street London W2 2AF
53 Black Lion Lane London W6 9BG 00 44 (0) 208 563 2965 www.sannegrundberg.com
LILAVATI AND PROFESSOR BENGT HÄGER
Lilavati and Professor Bengt Häger’s art collection is culturally significant. It was founded on the couple’s cross-cultural experiences; Lilavati was a leading exponent of Indian dance and Bengt was one of the most important European impresarios of his day.
On Bengt Häger’s suggestion the Carina Ari Dance Library was also established. Not only was Bengt involved with performance, but he also made one of the major dance historical discoveries in recent years. He acquired Ercole Santucci’s unique Italian dance manuscript from 1614 entitled the Mastro da Ballo which is now in the Carina Ari library. Lilavati Devi (c.1925-2002) first came to Sweden as a principal performer in the dance company set up by Ram Gopal (1912-2003), the ‘Nijinsky of India’. The company travelled widely and she captivated the attention of many. It was whilst she was in Sweden that she caught the attention of Bengt Häger, by then regarded as Europe’s most important impresario. She stayed in Sweden after Ram Gopal’s 1949 tour. She and Bengt wrote letters to each other every day for a year before marrying in 1954. Together with her husband she then endeavoured to inform Sweden about Indian classical dance.
Their art collection consists principally of works from India, China and Japan which reflects their travels, friendships and preoccupations. Highlights include a monumental bronze Thai Buddha Head dated to circa 1500; a vibrant Chinese silk robe worn by the renowned Peking Opera singer Mei Lanfang inscribed with a dedication to the couple; an iconic painting by Jamini Roy and an exquisite eighteenth century Indian miniature painting depicting a Nautch dancer. These pieces reflect a true passion for both ‘Dance’ and ‘the Divine’ combining the passions of Lilavati and Bengt.
As a result Lilavati effectively became an ambassador for Indian dance in Scandinavia. She was an integral part of the Festival of India in Sweden organised by Arild Berglof of the Swedish Institute in 1987 which hosted over 200 performing artists. She wrote books on Indian life, dance, music and crafts. The King of Sweden awarded Lilavati the Medal of Karl Gustaf. For the awards ceremony she wore a blue and yellow sari for the occasion thus interpreting the Swedish national colours in Indian attire.
Multi-talented and highly regarded Bengt Häger (1916-2011) worked inexhaustibly throughout his life to promote dance as an independent art form and field of research. Born and brought up in Malmö in southern Sweden, he went to University in Stockholm where from 1936 to 1944 he studied palaeography, literature, art history and theatre history. Later Bengt went on to found and manage the Swedish Dance Museum and the University College of Dance and Circus in Stockholm. Largely due to his efforts Swedish dance was brought to an international audience and Sweden played host to many guest performances by world leading dance companies and artists. He organised international tours for Swedish dance companies, such as the Cullberg Ballet, which he managed from 1967-87. Furthermore Bengt was active not only in Europe, but was the first to bring the Peking Opera out of China after the revolution. For many years Bengt was the closest collaborator of Rolf de Maré (1888-1964), founder of the Ballet Suedois in Paris and a leading art collector. It was de Maré’s vast collection that enabled Bengt to start the Dance Museum in Stockholm, whose first director he was from 1953-89. Bengt was also involved with UNESCO and founded the Centre International de Danse, whose first director he was 1977-88. For many years he was also the driving force behind the Carina Ari Memorial Fund which awards scholarships to enable young dancers to continue their studies, to research dance and provide support for older dancers.
Together the couple came to inhabit a circle which included some of the major international dancers, performers and choreographers of the last century. This included Margot Fonteyn, Antony Tudor and the Russians dancers Nureyev and Baryshnikov, Martha Graham and Alvin Ailey, the Germans Kurt Weill and Berthold Brecht and Pina Bausch. There is no doubt that their travels, dance aesthetic, cultural and spiritual interests inspired their collecting and contributed to the creation of a highly personal art collection. We are grateful to Richard Häger for his trust in our organisation of this exhibition dedicated to his parents and to Olof Edlund and the various specialists who have helped us in creating the catalogue of this unique collection.
Jamini Roy India, Beliatore 1887 - 1972
1 HANDMAIDEN AND T W O AT T E N D A N T S
signed in Bengali lower right tempera on card 74.2 x 38.8 cm. Provenance: Acquired from the artist in the 1950s.
Jamini Roy India, Beliatore 1887 - 1972
2 KRISHNA AND NANDI
signed in Bengali lower right tempera on card 29.3 x 41.5 cm. Provenance: Acquired from the artist in the 1950s.
Jamini Roy India, Beliatore 1887 - 1972
3 AN ASCETIC BEGGING FOR A L M S AT A L A DY ’ S D O O R
signed in Bengali lower right tempera on card 37.5 x 46 cm. Provenance: Acquired from the artist in the 1950s.
The subject-matter seems slightly unusual in Jamini Roy’s oeuvre, though not in earlier Indian art. The figure of the ascetic holy man, with his top-knot, half-naked, and stained with ashes (here represented by Roy with a bold green), appears in pre-20th Century Indian painting of all regions, and also (reflecting the newcomers’ fascination with these figures) in Company School works (by Indian artists in a European style, for British and other European patrons).
Jamini Roy India, Beliatore 1887 - 1972
4 K R I S H N A W I T H PA R R OT
signed in Bengali lower right tempera on canvas laid down on board 96.7 x 51.8 cm. Provenance: Acquired from the artist in the 1950s.
A very similar composition, in its unusual subject, its size, and the fact that it is painted on canvas rather than paper, was offered at Sotheby’s, Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art, 7th October 2014, lot 7. That work, which had originally been presented to the novelist E. M. Forster, was painted in or shortly before 1947. The subject has been called Krishna, but Forster himself, in a letter to Christopher Isherwood, referred to it as ‘a boy, perhaps a farmer, perhaps a god (Kama?) holding a parrot with his legs rather apart’. The British biologist J. B. S. Haldane once spoke of Jamini Roy’s paintings as on the one hand full of simplicity, and yet one never tired of gazing at them. The combination of simple, thick outlines, and bold blocks of colour must be the root of this feeling. ‘After the sickly, smoky effects of his contemporaries,’ wrote the novelist Beverley Nichols, ‘his pictures have the effect of high explosives.’ Jamini Roy came from a rural background in Bankura, Bengal. He enrolled in the Government Art School in 1906 and came under the influence of Abanindranath Tagore, though he also reacted strongly against both him and the artistic tendencies of the then dominant Bengal School. While he undoubtedly looked towards the ‘folk’ art of Bengal in style and subject-matter, notably Santal work and that of the Kalighat painters, (see catalogue nos. 32-42) working in the outskirts of Calcutta in the late 19th and early 20th Century, Jamini Roy also felt that such artists (particularly the latter group) had abandoned their ‘primitive’ qualities for a European and colonial-influenced approach. That said, his own work encompasses elements of European modernism as well as (for example) Byzantine iconography. Roy’s reputation spread in India through a series of exhibitions in the late 1920s and 1930s. He was spoken of highly by the critic Rudi von Leyden and during the war his work was exposed to the large numbers of Allied servicemen in Calcutta. His work was discussed in Horizon in an essay ‘A Modern Primitive’ by Mary Milford, which helped to draw further international attention.
Northern India, late 18th Century
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Northern India, Mughal, circa 1600
6 A COMPOSITE ELEPHANT
AN ILLUSTRATION TO THE TARIKH-I-ALFI: THE HISTORY OF A THOUSAND YEARS
pencil, watercolour, gold and ink on paper 22 x 29 cm.
gouache and ink on paper
A horned demon wrapped in a serpent holding a gold elephant goad sits atop a large elephant made up of a tightly packed composition of human and animal figures, the elephant follows a spotted div or demon wearing a gold crown who parades before it carrying a bugle and a snake.
one line of text in black nasta’liq ink above the throne three further lines of text in black nasta’liq ink below verso with eleven lines of text within two columns in black nasta’liq ink, one line of text in red nasta’liq ink across the upper section
The tradition of composite animals stretches far back to early Buddhist manuscripts of Central Asia, which later made their way into Persian painting and subsequently into the artistic corpus of Northern and Central India. For a further discussion on composite animals in Mughal and Deccani painting see Michael Barry, ‘ Diabolic Fancies and Composite Animals: Persian Poetry and the Grotesques of Deccani and Mughal Painting’, in N. Haidar and M. Sardar Ed. Sultans of the South: Arts of India’s Deccan Courts, 1323 – 1687, New York, 2011, pp. 102-109.
27 x 17.5 cm.
India, Provincial Mughal, late 18th / early 19th Century
7 A MOTH ER AN D CH I LD VISITI NG A S A I V I T E A S C E T I C AT A R I V E R S I D E S H R I N E India, Deccan, Hydrabad, circa 1780 gouache and gold on paper, gold speckled dark blue border 27.5 x 19.8 cm.
The miniature depicts a lady presenting her child to a Sadhu or Saivite ascetic seated on a Tiger skin under a tree with her companion, whilst a maiden is worshipping near a shrine behind her. In the foreground, a maiden is standing in the river with waterlillies, in a state of reverence with her hands clasped upwards.
8 A P R I N C E S S LY I N G O N A C H A R P O I gouache and gold on paper, gold speckled border 34.3 x 23.7 cm.
The miniature depicts a princess lying on a charpoi listening to advice from an old woman surrounded by four female attendants in a palace overlooking a terrace.
India, Lucknow, circa 1770
9 TH E N AWA B O F O U D H A N D H I S S O N E N T E R TA I N E D B Y A N A U TC H DA N C E R A CCO M PA N I E D BY FEMALE MUSICIANS
gouache, gold and silver on paper, red border verso inscribed in nasta’liq: shabih-e nawab shuja’ al-daulah wa asaf al-dawla and in English: Picture of the Nawab Shujah ud Dowlah and Asaph ud Dowlaw 23.1 x 29.3 cm. Shuja-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Oudh reigned from 1754 to 1775, followed by his son, Asaph-ud-Daula, who reigned from 1775 to 1797. They are depicted in this miniature being entertained by a Nautch dancer and her troupe of female musicians.
India, Murshidabad, circa 1770
10 RULER ON A THRONE E N T E R TA I N E D B Y M U S I C I A N S
gouache heightened with gold on paper, red border, trimmed inscribed upper centre: No. 68 verso inscribed in English: For Robert Gregory Esq. Act Antiphon Indian Entertainment of Dancing Girls signed indistinctly The ruler bears a close resemblance to Farrukh Siyyar (reigned 1712-1719). According to the inscription, the miniature was given to Robert Gregory. Robert Gregory (1727 – 1810) was an Irish-born East India merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1768 to 1784. He went to India where he served with the East India Company and made a considerable fortune. Gregory was a Member of Parliament for Maidstone from 18 March 1768 - 8 October 1774. He was then MP for Rochester, Kent from 7 October 1774 to 1 April 1784. He was also a director and then chairman of the East India Company between 1769 and 1782.
India, Rajasthan, late 18th Century
India, Pahari, 19th Century
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11 FRAGMENT OF A PILGRIMAGE SCENE
gouache with silver and gold on paper, partial red border with identifying inscriptions in Devanagari 17 x 24.4 cm.
PA L A C E F E ST I VA L
gouache with gold on paper, red border 24.5 x 29.5 cm.
India, Rajasthan, late 19th Century
13 KRISHNA
gouache with gold on paper 29.2 x 20 cm.
Krishna is depicted wearing an orange and blue robe, draped in floral garlands. In the foreground there are small rosebushes.
India, Jaipur, 2nd half of 19th Century
14 BALA KRISH NA ON A LOTUS LEAF
gouache with silver on paper, blue border, trimmed verso inscribed‌.: No. 415, exhibited 1974 34.4 x 25 cm.
India, Udaipur, circa 1900
15 KALI
gouache with gold and silver on paper, thin multiple borders, trimmed 35.4 x 25 cm. Kali is depicted stepping on Shiva within a Western-inspired composition.
D E VOT I O N A L PA I N T I N G S TO S R I N AT H - J I
Sri Nath-Ji is the representation of the Hindu god Krishna, worshipped at Nathdwara near Udaipur, Rajasthan. It is the major image of devotion for the Vallabhacharya (or Vallabha Sampradaya), a religious sect of India which believed that enlightenment was reached through complete surrender and devotion to Krishna. His followers worship him by singing and dancing, joyous activities, rather than by penance or hardship. Sri Nath-Ji is usually shown richly draped and adorned with flowers, gold and jewels. His eyes are particularly noteworthy as they are deliberately shown half closed, looking down, deep in meditation. His body is painted dark blue, the colour of outer space and infinity, whilst the yellow and gold colouring of his clothing recalls more earthly tones. He therefore combines space and infinity with earth in a human form. The image is enshrined in the main temple of the sect at Nathdwara (Rajasthan state), where it is given an elaborate service of worship daily. According to tradition, the image of Sri Nath-Ji revealed itself to the sect’s founder, Vallabha, while he was visiting Mount Govardhana, near Mathura (see catalogue number 18 for a miniature depicting this scene). The image has one hand raised, suggestive of Krishna’s lifting of Mount Govardhana to shelter the cowherds from a storm sent by the jealous rain god Indra. It was first worshipped in Mathura, and, while in flight from the Mughals, the chariot carrying the image broke down at Nathdwara, where it was given protection by the local Rajput chief. Representations of Sri Nath-Ji, covered with the ornaments and garlands of worship, are commonly seen in the homes and shops of devotees throughout northern and western India.
India, Rajasthan, Kotah, circa 1840
16 S R I N AT H - J I
gouache with gold and silver on card, silver-spotted red border 34.8 x 25.6 cm. Sri Nath-Ji is depicted in a blue shrine with all the characteristic attributes, flanked by four attendants.
India, Rajashan, Nathdwara, circa 1850
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18
India, Rajasthan, Nathdwara 1st half of 19th Century
S R I N AT H - J I VA L L A B H A C H A R YA D I S C O V E R S S R I N AT H - J I AT M O U N T G O VA R D H A N A gouache with gold and silver on card, red border inscribed below right 34 x 25 cm. Sri Nath-Ji is depicted in a blue shrine with all the characteristic attributes, flanked by four attendants. A group of worshippers are in the foreground.
gouache with silver and gold on card, red border, some losses 26.3 x 34.2 cm.
India, Rajasthan, Nathdwara, 19th Century
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India, Rajasthan, Nathdwara, 19th Century
20 S R I N AT H - J I
S R I N AT H - J I
gouache with silver and gold on paper, pink border 23 x 15.2 cm.
gouache with silver on paper, trimmed 16.4 x 12.3 cm.
India, Rajasthan, Nathdwara, 19th Century
India, Rajasthan, Nathdwara, 19th Century
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22 S R I N AT H - J I
S R I N AT H - J I
gouache with silver and gold on paper, trimmed 15 x 10.9 cm.
gouache with silver and gold on paper, orange border 12.3 x 8.2 cm.
India, Jaipur, circa 1850-70
India, probably Jaipur, circa 1850-70
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23 K R I S H N A P L AY I N G T H E F L U T E ON A SERPENT FLANKED BY THE GOPIS
T H E S L AY I N G O F A G H A S U R A
gouache with silver and gold on card, orange border some losses 31.7 x 21.5 cm.
Krishna is depicted accompanied by Balarama attacking the snake demon Aghasura as the demon engulfs a herd of cows.
gouache with silver on paper 28.7 x 19.5 cm.
India, Rajasthan, Jaipur, first half of 19th Century
25 R A M A A N D S I TA O N A Y E L L O W THRONE WITH HANUMAN
gouache with gold on card, navy blue border verso inscribed with eight lines of Devanagari 17.5 x 10.4 cm. Rama and Sita are depicted on a yellow throne with a chauri bearer behind them and Hanuman massaging Rama’s feet, a forest in the background.
India, Rajasthan, Jaipur, 19th Century
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India, Rajasthan, Jaipur, 19th Century
28 A C RO CO D I L E SWA L LOWI N G A NILGAI
folio from a dispersed album ink and gouache on paper, red border inscription in Devanagari above 13.1 x 12.2 cm.
India, Rajasthan, Jaipur, 19th Century
27 A L ADY PER FORMI NG PUJA O N T H E D E C K O F A R E D B O AT
folio from a dispersed album ink, gold and gouache on paper, red border inscription in Devanagari above 12.5 x 12.5 cm.
A RAM IN A LANDSCAPE WEARING A GOLD-BEADED NECKLACE
folio from a dispersed album ink, gold and gouache on paper, red border inscription in Devanagari script above 12.7 x 12.3 cm.
a group of 3 paintings India, Rajasthan, Jaipur, mid-19th Century
29 L AY L A V I S I T I N G M A J N U N ; KRISHNA DANCING WITH THE GOPIS; KRISHNA AND LAKSHMANA WITH HANUMAN
gouache with gold and silver on paper, silver blue and pink border respectively: 17.7 x 12.2 cm.; 17.8 x 12.5 cm.; 17.4 x 12 cm.
a group of 3 paintings India, Rajasthan, Jaipur, mid-19th Century
30 YA S H O D A A N D K R I S H N A ; A R D H A N I S H VA R A F L A N K E D BY KRISHNA AND GANESHA; KRISHNA AND RADHA
gouache with gold and silver on paper; silver, blue and red border respectively: 17.8 x 12.5 cm.; 17.7 x 12.5 cm.; 17.8 x 12.5 cm.
a group of 7 paintings Northern India, early 20th Century
31 RAMA UNDER A TREE; R A M A A N D S I TA ; BALA KRISHNA; S H I VA A N D PA R VAT I ; DURGA ON HER TIGER; G A N E S H A S E AT E D O N A T H R O N E ; COMPOSITE DEITY
gouache on paper identifying labels in Bengali script respectively: 15.2 x 12.8 cm.; 15 x 12.2 cm.; 15 x 12 cm.; 15 x 12.2 cm.; 14.6 x 12 cm; 15 x 10.5 cm.; 15 x 12 cm.
A G R O U P O F K A L I G H AT PA I N T I N G S
Kalighat paintings were produced in the 19th century in India by artists in the Calcutta marketplace for sale to pilgrims visiting the famous Kalighat temple. The temple, devoted to the cult of the goddess Kali, is two miles from the centre of Calcutta. Kalighat paintings are distinctive for their use of broad sweeping brush lines, bold colours, and simplified forms – a style reflecting the fact that they were painted on the spot by the Kalighat painters. Usually measuring 43 x 28 centimetres they most often, as is the case in the present group, depict the popular Hindu deities, but scenes of contemporary life can also be found. The charm and vigour of Kalighat painting had an influence on a number of modern Indian painters, as can be seen in the themes and style of the work of Jamini Roy (see catalogue numbers 1-4).
India, Calcutta, circa 1870-80
32 RADHA AND KRISHNA P L AY I N G T H E F L U T E
These paintings were collected by the British from the mid-19th century, but it was the development of the Bengal School of painting in the early 20th Century which led to Kalighat painting coming to greater prominence. The first article on the subject by Ajit Ghose appeared in the journal Rupamin in 1926. W. G. Archer wrote extensively on Kalighat painting (Bazaar Paintings of Calcutta: the Style of Kalighat, London 1953 and Kalighat Paintings, London 1971) and more recently Chester and Davida Herwitz formed an important collection from material appearing on the London market in the 1970s and 1980s. Kalighat watercolours have appeared in a number of exhibitions and in 2011 the Victoria and Albert Museum collaborated with the Victoria Memorial Hall, Calcutta for an important exhibition devoted solely to the subject. Most Western museum collections of Indian painting contain Kalighats, including the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the University of Pennsylvania Museum (Maxwell Somerville Collection, 1895), and the Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio. In India, apart from the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi and the Victoria Memorial Hall in Calcutta, there are Kalighats in the Birla Collection and the Jagdish and Kamla Mittal Collection in Hyderabad.
watercolour with silver paint on paper 44.5 x 28 cm.
India, Calcutta, circa 1870-80
33 RADHA AND KRISHNA
watercolour with silver paint on paper 44.5 x 27.5 cm.
India, Calcutta, circa 1870-80
34 KRISHNA TENDING T O R A D H A’ S F O O T
watercolour with silver paint on paper 44.8 x 28 cm.
India, Calcutta, circa 1870-80
35 RADHA TENDING T O K R I S H N A’ S F O O T
watercolour with silver paint on paper 45.6 x 27.5 cm.
India, Calcutta, circa 1870-80
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India, Calcutta, circa 1870-80
38 KALI ENSHRINED
S H I VA
watercolour with silver paint on paper 44.6 x 28.1 cm.
watercolour with silver paint on paper 44.4 x 28.2 cm.
India, Calcutta, circa 1870-80
India, Calcutta, circa 1870-80
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39 S H I VA A N D PA R VAT I
DURGA ON HER TIGER
watercolour with silver paint on paper 45.2 x 27.8 cm.
watercolour with silver paint on paper 44.5 x 28.2 cm.
India, Calcutta, circa 1870-80
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India, Calcutta, circa 1870-80
41 L AVA A N D K U S H A C A R RY I N G HANUMAN
NARASIMHA DISEMBOWLING H I R A N YA K A S H I P U
watercolour with silver paint on paper 45.4 x28 cm.
watercolour with silver paint on paper 45.6 x 28.5 cm.
India, Calcutta, circa 1870-80
42 BALARAM, SUBHADRA AND KRISHNA
watercolour with silver paint on paper 45.5 x 28.2 cm.
India, Rajasthan, 19th Century or earlier
43 TWO FOLIOS FROM A RELIGIOUS MANUAL
gouache and ink on paper each inscribed in Devanagari, within red ink double borders respectively: 19.8 x 12.5 cm.; 18.2 x 14 cm. Each folio depicts a form of a Lingam. The Lingam is a representation of the Hindu deity Shiva used for worship in temples. In traditional Indian society, the linga is seen as a symbol of the energy and potential of God, Shiva himself.
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46 FOLIO FROM A JAIN K A L PA S U T R A M A N U S C R I P T
India, Rajasthan, 19th Century
44 TA N T R I C F O OT
gouache and ink on paper 22.7 x 14.7 cm.
India, Rajasthan, 19th Century
India, Gujerat, 15th Century
gouache, gold and ink on paper nine lines of Devanagari script 11 x 26 cm.
The illumination depicts Parshvanath seated and surrounded by her attendants.
PA I R O F S N A K E S
probably from a Jain treatise or manual gouache and ink on paper, red border, trimmed four lines of Devanagari script 11.5 x 25.4 cm.
Northern India, Delhi, circa 1870
47 A G R O U P O F M I N I AT U R E PA I N T I N G S O N I VO RY D E P I C TI N G VA R I O U S RULERS AND THEIR CONSORTS
as inscribed on verso: 1. An Indian Lady by the name of Umdakhanum 2. King Akbar 3. King Shah Jahan 4. Rangeet Singh, a recent King of Lahore 5. Nawab as Wadanta 6. An Indian Lady 7. An Indian Lady by the name of Husanikhan 8. An Indian Lady name of Housanikhanum1 9. Shuja al Mulk, King of Lucknow 10. An Indian Lady name of Jonkhanum gouache with gold on ivory, each rectangular largest: 8.5 x 5.7 cm., smallest: 5 x 4 cm.
India, Deccan, 19th Century
48 A M E TA L T H R E A D E M B R O I D E R E D S I L K PA N E L
gilt-metal thread and sequins on silk 83 x 112 cm. The panel is composed of three rectangular panels sewn together within a surround, each embroidered with rococo designs on a turquoise ground.
India, Orissa, late 19th Century
50 J A G A N N AT H , B A L A R A M AND SUBHADRA
pata-chitra, pigment on cloth 64 x 76.5 cm.
India, Orissa, late 19th Century
51 KRISHNA AND THE GOPIS India, Orissa, late 19th Century
49 PA I R O F PA I N T I N G S O N C L OT H pata-chitra, pigment on cloth respectively: 22 x 38.4 cm.; 22.4 x 38 cm. The paintings depict Kanshi Avijana and the Elephant Rider.
pata-chitra, pigment on cloth 25.5 x 35.5 cm.
Central India, 10th-11th Century
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52
South India, Tamil Nadu 19th Century
FEMALE DEITY AND A N AT T E N D A N T
D I PA - L A K S H M I
carved red sandstone 38.9 cm. high; 18 cm. wide
cast brass 28 cm. high. Dipa-Lakshmi is depicted with a plaited ponytail and her hands outstretched.
Southern India, Tamil Nadu, circa 1900
54 NANDI
polychrome painted carved wood with silver paint 26 cm. high; 30.5 cm. long; 12 cm. wide
Deccan, India, 19th Century
55 NANDI
cast bronze 9.3 cm. high Nandi is crouching on a rectangular base with a diminished lingam in front. An incense holder to the back.
Southern India, 17th Century
56 GANESHA
carved granite, remains of red and yellow lacquer 44 cm. high; 34 cm. wide
India, 20th Century
58 KRISHNA AND THE GOPIS WITH THEIR COWHERDS
picchavai, pigment on cotton 115 x 104 cm.
India, 20th Century India, Kashmir, late 19th Century
57 WOV E N S H AWL WITH PA I S L E Y D E S I G N
wool 180 x 180 cm.
59 KRISHNA AND RADHA DANCING
picchavai, pigment on cotton 170 x 111 cm.
Nepal, late 19th Century
61 TEMPLE LAMP
turned and cast brass 97 cm. high. mounted The tall cylindrical and ribbed central column standing on a large round tray. The upper section portraying the Sun God Surya pulled by his seven horses with his two consorts, Saranyu and Chhaya, within a stylised halo.
India, 20th Century
60 KRISHNA AND RADHA BESIDE A TREE
picchavai, pigment on cotton 176 x 120 cm
Tibet, circa 1900
Tibet, 19th Century or earlier
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63 AVA LO K I T E S H VA R A
AVA LO K I T E S H VA R A
thang-ka, distemper on cloth 87 x 61.5 cm.
thang-ka, distemper on cloth, Chinese silk surround 89 x 64 cm.
The four-armed Avalokiteshvara Sadaksari is depicted seated on a lotus throne, surrounded by a halo of peonies on a black ground.
The form of multi-armed and multi-headed Avalokiteshvara is depicted holding a variety of different attributes within a halo of pink peonies, all on a black ground.
Tibet, 19th Century
64 S A M A N TA B H A D R A
tsakli, gouache on cotton, red border edges strengthened with paper 11 x 8.7 cm.
Tibet, 19th Century
65 S I M H AVA K T R A
tsakli, gouache on cotton, red border edges strengthened with paper verso with identifying inscription 11.6 x 9.7 cm.
Nepal, 17th Century
66 GANESHA
carved grey schist 13 cm. high Ganesha is eating sweets in his primary left hand and holding his broken tusk in his primary right hand. In his other hands, he is holding a rosary and an elephant goad. He is riding on his vehicle the rat.
Northern Thailand, Kingdom of Lan Na circa 1500
67 A M O N U M E N TA L B R O N Z E HEAD OF BUDDHA
cast bronze 55 cm. high. The serene expression shown in this head of Buddha describes his face at the moment he attains spiritual enlightenment. With his gentle smile, eyes downcast and eyebrows arched it is possible to imagine the composed position the rest of his sculpted body would once have held. He shows the distinctive characteristics of a Buddha with elongated earlobes and tightly curled hair rising into the ushnisha, the domed shape protuberance, a symbol of his superior mental powers. This magnificent large Buddha head dates from the period when the Kingdom of Lan Na reached its peak, rivalling the Kingdom of Ayuthia, further south. Founded in the late thirteenth century its cultural centre was Chiang Mai. Lan Na was influenced artistically by the arts of Indian Pala and Sukhotai and this is evident in the present head in the arched eyebrows, downcast eyes and incised lips. By the mid sixteenth century Lan Na had become considerably weakened by attacks from Burma to the North, as well as from Ayuthia. As part of the Kingdom of Chiang Mai, it remained independent until 1897 when it was subsumed into the Kingdom of Thailand. There is a very closely related head, found at Chiang Saen, in the province of Chiang Rai, in 1927, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (IM.80-1927). A complete figure of Buddha in similar style from Wat Phra Chao Lan Thong is in the Chiang Saen National Museum. Provenance: Pre-1950s, the collection of Rolf de MarÊ (see introduction) from whom given to Bengt and Lilavati Häger in the 1950s.
Laos, 17th Century
68 S E AT E D B U D D H A
bronze, traces of lacquer and gilding inscribed on base 48.5 cm. high The Buddha is seated in sattvasana, his hands in bhumisparsa and dhyana mudra, on a lotus throne on a raised hexagonal plinth, with elongated ears and tightly curled hair. His head with a raised ushnisha with bud finial.
Sumatra/ Malay Peninsula, 19th century
Thailand, 19th Century
71
69 P E D E STA L B O W L
B E LT B U C K L E
gilded silver niello 21.7 cm. diameter; 14 cm. high; weight: 754g
gilded niello copper set with paste and semi-precious stones 24 cm. diameter
A silver bowl with raised, lotus petal fluting and decorated using the niello technique with gilded (gold-plated) highlights. Such bowls were used in Thailand often to adorn altars.
Thailand, 19th Century
70 LIDDED CASE
gilded silver niello 14.5 cm. Of cylindrical form, decorated with dense floral and foliate motifs using the niello technique with gilded (gold-plated) highlights, within narrow bands of repeat trefoil motifs.
Of ogival form, the buckle has gold filigree and gilt decoration over a thick copper plate. It was used by the Malay and possibly Acehnese and Minangkabau peoples of Sumatra as part of their traditional dress for weddings and other important events.
Bali, 18th Century
72 T E M P L E P E D E STA L
carved wood, openwork base: 26.5 x 19.5 cm, 36.5 high Of square tapering form, carved with openwork details including elephants-like heads in each corner merging into demon masks, additional dragon-style masks in the upper register, the top with a rectangular recess.
Bali, 19th Century
73
Sri Lanka, 18/19th Century
74 TEMPLE BRACKET
TWO TEMPLE ROOF TILES
carved wood, red lacquer and gilding 46 cm .high; 19 cm. wide
moulded terracotta 23 x 17 cm approx.
Of rectangular form, three sides carved with dragonheads and scrolling motifs. The back with two long rectangular recesses made to slot into a larger decorative architectural feature.
Each depicting a griffin on the outer side within a dotted border and a cockerel on the inside. Given the decoration is on both sides, these tiles most likely overhung at the edge of a roof. For an almost identical published tile, see Amanda K. Coomaraswany, Mediaeval Sinhalese Art, New York, 1956, plate XXVL, nos. 1 and 2.
China, Peking, circa 1930
75 O P E R A R O B E WO R N BY M E I L A N FA N G I N ‘ FA R E W E L L MY CO N C U B I N E ’
silk ground with silk thread, lined approx. 115 cm. long Of pale yellow silk, finely embroidered with iris, lotus, other flowers and cranes in flight amongst reeds, the tall collar has a bird and peony flower heads, above an elaborate cloud collar of teal blue with further flower heads and white metal decorative rivets, the theme repeated on the hems and openings, all edged in a silver thread ruyi head border lined with further metal rivets with two ribbons hanging down from the collar, plain cream lining with inscription The inscription inside the robe reads: 今年三月海格先生与其夫人来华访问谈艺甚欢因检出我从前由一九三 二年到一九五二年间经常在舞台上表演霸王别姬时穿着的斗篷一袭为 赠借由纪念 一九五七年四月卅日梅兰芳题于北京
Seal: 梅兰芳
In English: Mr and Mrs Hai Ge (Häger) are visiting China; after a cheerful conversation about Chinese Opera, the couple found a robe that I (Mei Lanfang) wore to perform Ba Wang Bie Ji from 1932 to 1952. Dated 1957 April 30th. Singed Mei Lanfang in Beijing, with one seal, Mei Lanfang. Mei Lanfang was the undisputed super star of Beijing Opera. Born Mei Lan in Beijing in 1894 to parents both working in the industry, his life’s path was already marked out for him from an early age as he first stood on the stage at the age of ten. By the age of 13 he was part of a touring opera group, Xiliancheng. Considered supremely talented, he quickly rose to become one of China’s foremost performers in the genre mainly unknown beyond the walls of China. The Empress Cixi, who effectively ruled China for fifty years until her death in 1908, was a great lover of the opera, requesting frequent and long performances at a moment’s notice. This caused the genre to increase in popularity and stature. Despite emerging through the tumultuous years of post Qing dynasty and pre revolutionary China, Mei Lanfang’s career was unencumbered by this, apart from during the war when he opposed the Japanese occupation and refused to perform. Specialising in female roles, or ‘Dan’ he was part of a group of ‘The Four Great Dan’ which was the golden era of Beijing Opera. His most famous roles include: Bai Niangzi in Duanqiao (“Broken Bridge”) Lin Daiyu in Daiyu zanghua (“Daiyu Buries Flowers”) Yuji in Bawang bieji (“Farewell My Concubine” the role for which he wore this robe; see image above) Yang Yuhuan in Guifei zuijiu (“Concubine Gets Drunk”).
There are various famous recordings of Farewell my Concubine where Mei sings aria B, wearing the present robe. He was known
to play challenging and strong female roles, giving form to the famous heroines of Ming literature, his main strength being the portrayal of female unhappiness. He became an international phenomenon when he started touring the world, bringing Beijing Opera with him to Japan, the Soviet Union, Europe and most famously the USA. On his six month tour of the country he encountered celebrities such as Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford when he was received in Hollywood. During the tour he is even said to have influenced Brecht, Stanislavsky and Eisenstein in theatrical themes. He was one of the highest paid actors of all time, reputedly earning 750,000 USD in 1927 alone. He even prompted jealous Japanese performers to launch their own tour quick on his heels, which proved a disaster in the wake of the huge success of the sell-out Chinese tour. It was said the tour was a publicity stunt to improve the view of the Chinese abroad during a time of famine and unrest, and Mei Lanfang held politically charged speeches speaking of peace and harmony as a form of cultural ambassador, something which weighed on him considerably later in life. As the war broke out, Mei Lanfang left mainland China and moved to Hong Kong, struggling through the war with no work or income at all, returning eventually to Shanghai where performing resumed after the war had ended. He soon became a director of the China Beijing Opera Theatre and other esteemed roles including a number of successful films. The medium brought Mei to a mass of Chinese people who enjoyed close ups of his face and its wide range of emotions for which he became famous. In 1957 Bengt and Lilivati Häger travelled to China as guests of Mei Lanfang and his family, and observed the famous troupe. They in turn organised tours for Mei in Europe and the Royal Ballet of Stockholm who toured in China reciprocally. Mei Lanfang later wrote his autobiography and many published essays and articles. There was a documentary in 2000 and later a film by Chen Kaige, Forever Enthralled, in December 2008. Mei Lanfang died of heart failure in 1961, two years after joining the Communist Party. His family struggled severely as many others during the Cultural Revolution, but seventeen years after his death his widow Fu Zhifang wrote a moving tribute to him in the People’s Daily, also praising Mao Ze Dong and Zhou Enlai’s involvement and concern for his welfare. She points out how arduously he worked after the war to bring opera to the people of the vast country, touring tirelessly to bring light and culture to a bleak post war landscape. Mei Lanfang’s reputation and cultural legacy was completely rehabilitated after the Cultural Revolution. Premier Zhou Enlai instructed that Mei Lanfang be buried with great pomp and circumstance, and gave the family the grand unused coffin originally intended for Sun Yat-Sen, the founder of the Republic of China, in 1924. He is buried in the Fragrant Hills area above Beijing. The genre enjoyed a surge of popularity under the keen eye of Premier Deng Xiaoping from the 1980’s onwards. Mei’s traditional courtyard home has become a museum, and thanks to the recent films, a new generation preserve his memory and cultural gift to the nation. His spirit and style lives on in his son and heir, Mei Baojiu, who recently toured America in 2014 with the Mei Lanfang Jingju Troupe.
Pan Zhenyong China, 1852 – 1921
Pan Zhenyong China, 1852 – 1921
77
76 A SERIES OF FOUR BEAUTIES
A SERIES OF FOUR BEAUTIES
painting on silk, backed on paper each signed by the artist and stamped in red verso with wax seal each 39.3 x 43.2 cm.
painting on silk, backed on paper each signed by the artist and stamped in red verso with wax seal each 39.3 x 43.2 cm.
China, 19th Century
79 FIGURE OF GUANYIN
Ming-style wood, polychrome paint and gilding old label on base 65 cm. high The edge of her robe carved in low relief with floral and leafy vines.
78
Ding Baoshu China, 1866 – 1936
LOTUS AN D EGRET 一行白鹭下青天，太华峰头玉井莲。花开十丈大如斗，握起奇根藕似船
ink and colour on paper, hanging scroll inscribed and signed Ding Baoshu, with two seals of the artist 79 x 75 cm.
A flock of white egrets fly down from the blue sky, to the turquoise lake full of lotus on Mount Taihua. In full bloom, the lotus flower is as big as one dou, picked out from the mud, the lotus root is as large as a boat.
80
Kitagawa Utamaro Japan, circa 1753-1806
81
Kitagawa Utamaro Japan, circa 1753-1806
WOMAN WITH PET
THREE FIGURES
circa 1790 signed colour woodblock print 37.5 x 22cm.
circa 1790 signed colour woodblock print 38.2 x 25.1 cm.
82
Japan, School of Utamaro 18th Century
MAN AND WOMAN WITH T WO H AWKS
signed colour woodblock print 35 x 22.8 cm.
83
Kitagawa Utamaro Japan, circa 1753-1806
WOMAN WITH KI NTOKI
circa 1800 signed colour woodblock print 33 x 23.6 cm.
84
Probably Yashima Gakutei Japan, circa 1786-1868
S PA R R O W DA N C E R S
86
Katsukawa Shun’ei Japan, circa 1762 – 1819
upper middle print from ‘A Set of Six for the Katsushika Circle (Katsushika rokuban tsuzuki)’
I N T E R I O R O F A K A B U K I T H E AT R E
signed surimono, colour woodblock print circa 1827/28 20 x 17.5 cm.
circa 1790 signed colour woodblock print 25.3 x 37.4 cm.
The black border and vertical stripes in the background represent the frame and bars of an imaginary birdcage. The dancers are wearing the costumes required for the performance of the ‘Sparrow Dance’ (suzume odori), along with the emblem of the Katsushika poetry group who commissioned the set. Three prints from the lower row of the set of six are in the Art Institute of Chicago.
85
Probably Yashima Gakutei Japan, circa 1786-1868
S PA R R O W DA N C E R S
lower middle print from A Set of Six for the Katsushika Circle (Katsushika rokuban tsuzuki)’ signed surimono, colour woodblock print circa 1827/28 20 x 17.5 cm. see cat 86
87
Utagawa Kunihiro Japan, active 1815-1843
Utagawa Toyokuni (Japan, 1769-1825)
89 A TAT TO O A R T I S T ( PA RT O F T R I P T YC H )
KABU KI ACTOR
signed colour woodblock print 39 x 27 cm.
circa 1850 signed colour woodblock print 37 x 25 cm.
88
Utagawa Kunihiro Japan, active 1815-1843
90
Shunkôsai Hokushû Japan, active 1802-1832
KABU KI ACTOR
LARGE HEAD OF KABUKI ACTOR
signed colour woodblock print 38.7 x 26.7 cm.
circa 1830 signed colour woodblock print 37 x 25 cm.
‘Gototei’ Kunisada Japan, 1786-1865
91 K A B U K I AC TO R TR I PT YC H
circa 1840 signed colour woodblock print 36.5 x 25 cm.
Japan, 20th Century Artist Unknown
92 R U S S O - J A PA N E S E B AT T L E TR I PT YC H
circa 1900 signed colour woodblock print 36 x 25 cm.
Toyohara Kunichika Japan, active 1850-1860
93 TH REE ACTORS
circa 1860 signed colour woodblock print 37.5 x 25.5 cm.
Japan, late 19th Century
94 A BUGAKU MASK – SANJU
red lacquered paint on carved wood with black features 28.5 (height) x 21 (width) x 14.5cm. (depth) Bugaku masks are used in bugaku, a performing art that flourished in Japan from the Heian period (792-1185) onwards and which featured dance together with court music. The music and dance of bugaku originated in China, the Korean peninsula and Vietnam. These were introduced to the Japanese Imperial court, from where bugaku spread to shrines and temples throughout the country. Owing to this origin, bugaku is characterised by refined, stately movements. The music played for bugaku court dances is very slow in tempo. Bugaku flourished during the 9th century, Heian period through the Kamakura period (1185-1332) during which it was the major performing art in Japan. It spread from Kyoto to central Japan then throughout Honshu. Bugaku took four forms: civil dances, warrior dances, running dances, and dances for children. They all consist of highly conventionalised movements cued by the beat of a drum. Positions of arms, hands, and feet are highly stylized, and overall choreography consists of simple geometric patterns. An important element is the masks worn by the dancers. Bugaku masks have attenuated features intended to convey the characters of those they represent. The masks called the “Twelve Deities� (1486; To Temple, Kyoto), carved by Buddhist sculptors, are among the oldest and best-known examples. The first bugaku masks had a naturalistic look but by the end of the Kamakura period their appearance had become very stylized. They vary in size and are generally made of cypress wood. Unlike other masks they do not have ears and cover just the face and the range in size. The style of carving mirrors the carving of Buddhist statues and some masks are signed by well known statue carvers. The majority of bugaku masks, as in the present example however are unsigned.
Mesoamerica, probably Olmec Civilisation, circa 300-200 B.C.
97 ZOOMORPHIC SCULPTURE
carved stone 33 cm. high Of tapering form on a round foot surmounted with an ornamented motif carved with snake designs. The lower vase-shaped body carved with geometric motifs. In the Olmec and early San Austin cultures, snakes symbolise fruitfulness. The snake design is a popular image in Mesoamerican art. Related to the San Augustin culture were the inhabitants (inner land), so called because of its inaccessibility, who created underground tombs, richly decorated with geometric forms. The descendants, which were the Olmecs, had a rich and vibrant culture establishing many of the traditions found in the latter Mayan and Aztec cultures such as human sacrifice. However, around approximately 300 BC, their civilisation vanished, but their influence can be found in vast amounts among Aztec and Mayan cultures.
Persia, Qajar Dynasty, 19th Century
Turkey, Ottoman Empire, dated AH 1255 /AD 1839
95 MOU LDED POTTERY TI LE
96 YATA G A N
underglaze, polychrome paint 26 x 19 cm. The tile depicts a prince and a female musician, flanked by floral sprigs. There are houses in the upper corners. A band of floral motifs above on a white ground.
steel blade, walrus hilt, coral 72.6 cm. long The tapering steel blade engraved to one side with a stylised cartouche bearing inscriptions and dated AH 1255, the other side with a stellar motif within a roundel. The forte decorated with silver filigree. The tang set with tear-shaped coral.
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Peter Keenan Matthew Hollow