The Dance and The Divine

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
5
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
12
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
17
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
19
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
21
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
24
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
26
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
36
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
37
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
40
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.
45
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
53
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
62
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 Maré
(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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Design
Photography
Peter Keenan
Matthew Hollow