Provenance Information

Purchased by Mr. James W. Alsdorf, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. The exact date that Mr. Alsdorf purchased this object is unknown; however, Mr. Alsdorf acquired the object by 1983 when he placed it on long-term loan at the Art Institute of Chicago. Attempts to determine from whom Mr. Alsdorf acquired the object were unsuccessful. Mrs. Marilynn Alsdorf publicly promised the object to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997, signed a promised gift agreement for the object in 2002, and gave the object to the Art Institute of Chicago in 2016.

Exhibition Information

A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (August 2 – October 26, 1997).


The object has been displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, from March 2003 to October 2003.

Publication Information

Pal, Pratapaditya with contributions by Stephen Little, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago in association with Thames and Hudson, New York, (1997), p. 299: cat. 121 and plate p. 101.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Cumulative facts and circumstances.
Gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008.
This acquisition falls within two exceptions. First, the cumulative facts and circumstances known to the Art Institute of Chicago at the time of the acquisition allowed it to make an informed judgment to acquire the object. The exact date that Mr. Alsdorf purchased this object is unknown; however, Mr. Alsdorf acquired the object by 1983 when he placed it on long-term loan at the Art Institute of Chicago. Attempts to determine from whom Mr. Alsdorf acquired the object were unsuccessful. The object has been exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2003 and 1997 and published in a major catalogue of South Asian art: A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection (1997). In addition, the acquisition furthers the representation of the artistic achievements of all civilizations in art museums because it represents the head of Buddha Shakyamuni from the Mon-Dvaravati culture that flourished in ancient Thailand and reveals the cultural interaction between India and Thailand in antiquity.
Second, the acquisition of the object was by gift and promised to the Art Insittute prior to 2008. Mrs Alsdorf publicly promised the object to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997 and thereafter signed a promised gift agreement for the object in 2002.

Provenance Information

Purchased by Mr. James W. Alsdorf, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., from Harry Shupak, Honolulu, Hawaii in 1971. Attempts to determine when and from whom Mr. Shupak acquired the object were unsuccessful. Mrs. Marilynn Alsdorf publicly promised the object to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997, signed a promised gift agreement for the object in 2002, and gave the object to the Art Institute in 2016.

Exhibition Information

A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (August 2 – October 26, 1997).

The object has been displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, in the Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan and Islamic Art, from December 2008 to the present.

Publication Information

Little, Stephen, "Southeast Asian Sculptures from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection." Orientations 28, No. 7 (July – August 1997), p. 61: fig. 10.
Pal, Pratapaditya with contributions by Stephen Little, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago in association with Thames and Hudson, New York, (1997), p. 299: cat. 122 and plate p. 101.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Cumulative facts and circumstances.
Gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008.
This acquisition falls within two exceptions. First, the cumulative facts and circumstances known to the Art Institute of Chicago at the time of the acquisition allowed it to make an informed judgement to acquire the object. This object was acquired by Mr. Alsdorf in 1971 from Harry Shupak, Hawaii. Attempts to determine when and from whom Mr. Shupak acquired the object were unsuccessful. It has been exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997 and since December 2008. The object has been published twice, including in a major catalogue of South Asian art, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection (1997). In addition, the acquisition furthers the representation of the artistic achievements of all civilizations in art museums because it is an important standing Buddha image from the Mon-Dvaravati culture that demonstrates the cultural connections between India and Thailand in ancient times.
Second, the acquisition of the object was by gift and the object was promised to the Art Insittute prior to 2008. Mrs Alsdorf publicly promised the object to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997 and thereafter signed a promised gift agreement for the object in 2002.

Provenance Information

Purchased by Mr. James W. Alsdorf, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. The exact date that Mr. Alsdorf purchased this object is unknown; however, Mr. Alsdorf acquired the object before his death in 1990. Attempts to determine from whom Mr. Alsdorf acquired the object were unsuccessful. Mrs. Marilynn Alsdorf publicly promised the object to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997, signed a promised gift agreement for the object in 2002, and gave the object to the Art Institute of Chicago in 2016.

Exhibition Information

A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (August 2 – October 26, 1997).

The object has been displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, in the Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan and Islamic Art, from December 2008 to the present.

Publication Information

Pal, Pratapaditya with contributions by Stephen Little, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago in association with Thames and Hudson, New York, (1997), p. 284: cat. 55 and plate p. 51.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Cumulative facts and circumstances.
Gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008.
This acquisition falls within two exceptions. First, the cumulative facts and circumstances known to the Art Institute of Chicago at the time of the acquisition allowed it to make an informed judgment to acquire the object. The exact date that Mr. Alsdorf purchased this object is unknown, but Mr. Alsdorf acquired this object before his death in 1990. The object has been exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago since December 2008 and exhibited and published in a major catalogue of South Asian art: A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection (1997). In addition, the acquisition furthers the representation of the artistic achievements of all civilizations in art museums because it is a rare early example of the Hindu god Ganesha from the pre-Khmer period.
Second, the acquisition of the object was by gift and the object was promised to the Art Insitute prior to 2008. Mrs Alsdorf publicly promised the object to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997 and thereafter signed a promised gift agreement for the object in 2002.

Provenance Information

Purchased by Mr. James W. Alsdorf, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., from Nik Douglas, Br. West Indies in 1988. Although the invoice indicates that the object was previously in the collection of Dr. Kanusat, Bangkok, Mr. Douglas is deceased and attempts to learn more about when and from whom he acquired the object were unsuccessful. Mrs. Marilynn Alsdorf publicly promised the object to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997, signed a promised gift agreement for the object in 2002, and gave the object to the Art Institute in 2016.

Exhibition Information

A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (August 2 – October 26, 1997).
The object has been displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, in the Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan and Islamic Art, from December 2008 to the present.

Publication Information

Brown, Robert L., "An Aesthetic Encounter: Khmer Art from Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam", Orientations, vol. 42, No. 3, (April 2011), pp. 50-56, p. 53, fig. 4.

Eisenberg, Jerome M., "Indian and Southeast Asian Art from the Alsdorf Collection", Minerva, (September/October 1997), p. 17.

Little, Stephen, "Southeast Asian Sculptures from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection." Orientations, vol. 28, No. 7, (July – August 1997), p. 57.

Pal, Pratapaditya with contributions by Stephen Little, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago in association with Thames and Hudson, New York, (1997), p. 281, cat. 41, color pl. p. 42.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Cumulative facts and circumstances.
Gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008.
This acquisition falls within two exceptions. First, the cumulative facts and circumstances known to the Art Institute of Chicago at the time of the acquisition allowed it to make an informed judgement to acquire the object. This object was acquired by Mr. Alsdorf in 1988 from Mr. Nik Douglas, Br. West Indies. Although the invoice indicates that the object was previously in the collection of Dr. Kanusat, Bangkok, Mr. Douglas is deceased and attempts to learn more about when and from whom he acquired the object were unsuccessful. It has been exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997 and since December 2008. The object has been published various times, including in a major catalogue of South Asian art, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection (1997). In addition, the acquisition furthers the representation of the artistic achievements of all civilizations in art museums because the sculpture is a rare early example of Hayagriva, the horse-headed incarnation of God Vishnu, from the pre-Khmer period.
Second, the acquisition of the object was by gift and the object was promised to the Art Insittute prior to 2008. Mrs Alsdorf publicly promised the object to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997 and thereafter signed a promised gift agreement for the object in 2002.

Provenance Information

by 1969 - 1976 collection of William H. Wolff Gallery, New York; 1976 - 2014 collection of Dr. and Mrs. Frederick Baekeland, New York (purchased from William H. Wolff); 2014 collection of Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (gift of Dr. and Mrs. Frederick Baekeland)

Exhibition Information

Unknown.

Publication Information

“Front Matter” in Art Journal, vol. 28, no. 4 (Summer 1969) [Taylor & Francis, Ltd., College Art Association]: 437. http://www.jstor.org/stable/775307.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

The provenance of the object can be traced back to 1969, when a photograph of it appeared in an advertisement for a New York gallery in Art Journal (Summer 1969). The donors subsequently purchased the object from this dealer, according to documentation on file.

Provenance Information

Acquired by Münzen und Medaillen (Dr. Herbert Cahn) in Basel, Switzerland, from a European Private Collection prior to 1972; acquired by Ms. Ariel Herrmann from Münzen und Medaillen, Basel, Switzerland, in 1972; given to The Metropolitan Museum of Art by Ms. Ariel Herrmann in 2014.

Exhibition Information

None.

Publication Information

None.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

This work has provenance established to at least 1972. This is a beautifully tooled example of a Roman plate that demonstrates the skills of the carvers of the 1st to 2nd century. Such luxury vessels were intended for display rather than use and were rare in ancient times, and few have survived. The rarity of this piece is made all the more apparent by its well-preserved condition.

Provenance Information

January 16, 1973, sold by the University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, to William and Bertha Teel, Marblehead, MA; 2014, bequest of William Teel to the MFA. (Accession Date: February 26, 2014)

Exhibition Information

No known exhibition history.

Publication Information

No known publication history.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

This figure was in the United States by 1973, and possibly earlier, though efforts to trace its provenance further have been unsuccessful. It was outside its likely country of origin, Costa Rica, before Law No. 6703 was passed in 1981.

Provenance Information

The earliest registrar's records in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) for this sculpture are from February 21, 1978, when it was brought into the museum as TR.2785.1 for catalogue photography prior to the exhibition,” The Divine Presence: Asian Sculptures from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lenart” (LACMA, 1978). During its presentation in the exhibition it was EX.78.233. No additional provenance information is reportedly available from the Lenart estate records.

Exhibition Information

EXHIBITION 1. "The Divine Presence: Asian Sculptures from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lenart” (LACMA, August 15 - October 15, 1978). The exhibition subsequently toured to five venues: University Art Gallery, University of Texas at Austin; The Fine Art galleries, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Utah Museum of fine Arts, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City; University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City; Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon.

EXHIBITION 2. "As Many Worlds As There Are: 25th Anniversary Gifts" (LACMA, October 21, 1990 – January 6, 1991.

Publication Information

PUBLICATION 1. The Divine Presence: Asian Sculptures from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lenart (LACMA, 1978), p. 20, cat. no. 8 (illustrated).

PUBLICATION 2. As Many Worlds As There Are: 25th Anniversary Gifts (LACMA, 1990), p. 11 (unillustrated).

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

The sculpture was formally accepted as a Promised Gift to LACMA on September 18, 1990 (as L.90.67).

In addition, in the Preface (p. 4) of the catalogue,The Divine Presence: Asian Sculptures from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lenart (LACMA, 1978), it is stated that this sculpture and "the remaining [unaccessioned objects] will become part of the Museum's permanent collection over the next few years."

Provenance Information

Purchased by Mr. James W. Alsdorf, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., from Spink & Son, Ltd., London, England, in 1976. Attempts to determine when and from whom Spink & Son, Ltd., acquired the object were unsuccessful. Mrs. James W. Alsdorf publicly promised the work to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997, signed a promised gift agreement for the work in 2002, and gave the work to the Art Institute in 2012.

Exhibition Information

“The Ideal Image” – Asia House Gallery, New York, New York (November 1978 – December 3, 1978); The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (March 24 – May 6, 1979).

"A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection" – The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (August 2 – October 26, 1997).

“Realm of the Gods” – Memphis Brooks Museum, Memphis, Tennessee (April 30 – July 23, 2000).

The object has been on display at the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, in the Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan and Islamic Art from December 2008 to the present.

Publication Information

Pratapaditya Pal, The Ideal Image (The Asia Society, New York, New York, 1978), p. 112, plate 64.

Jerome M. Eisenberg, “Indian and South-East Asian art from the Alsdorf collection,” in Minerva, vol. 8, no. 5, (Great Britain, September/October 1997), pp. 15-18.

Pratapaditya Pal with contributions by Stephen Little, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art (The Art Institute of Chicago in association with Thames and Hudson, New York, New York, 1997), p. 320: 215, plate p. 165.

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Cumulative facts and circumstances

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

This acquisition falls within two exceptions.

First, the cumulative facts and circumstances known to the Art Institute of Chicago at the time of the acquisition allowed it to make an informed judgment to acquire the object. This object has provenance established to at least 1976 when it was acquired by Mr. Alsdorf from Spink & Son, Ltd. Attempts to determine when and from whom Spink & Son, Ltd., acquired the object were unsuccessful. The sculpture has been in several exhibitions, including a 1978-79 exhibition in New York and Chicago, and it has been published three times, including in two major catalogues of South Asian art: The Ideal Image (1978) and A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art (1997). In addition, the acquisition furthers the representation of the artistic achievements of all civilizations in art museums because the seated Parshvanath is an important addition to the museum’s collection of early Jain art as well as the art of the Gupta period which was otherwise poorly represented in the museum’s collection.

Second, the acquisition of the object was by gift and the object was promised to the Art Institute prior to 2008. Mrs. Alsdorf publicly promised the work to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997 and thereafter signed a promised gift agreement for the work in 2002.

Provenance Information

Pan-Asian collection, Christian Humann (date of acquisition unknown; likely 1960s); on loan to Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1972-1977; acquired by Robert Ellsworth along with the rest of the collection after Humann's death in 1981; Robert Moore, Los Angeles (date of acquisition unknown); acquired from Robert Moore by Art Passages, 2011; purchased from Art Passages by the Asian Art Museum, 2012, acquisition made possible by Martha Hertelendy, with additional funding from Paul and Kathleen Bissinger, Fred M. Levin and Nancy Livingston, and Douglas Tilden.

Exhibition Information

Sensuous Immortals: A Selection of Sculptures from the Pan-Asian Collection, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, October 25, 1977-January 15, 1978; Seattle Art Museum, March 9 – April 23, 1978; Denver Art Museum, May 26 – July 30, 1978; William Rockhill Nelson Gallery, Kansas City, September 15 – October 29, 1978.

Publication Information

Pratapaditya Pal, Sensuous Immortals: A Selection of Sculptures from the Pan-Asian Collection, (Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Cambridge, Mass.: distributed by the MIT Press, 1977), catalog no. 156.
Christie's New York, Indian and Southeast Asian Art Including 20th Century Indian Paintings, Thursday, 23 September 2004, Sale 1409, lot 59 [unsold].

Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970

Informed judgement that works were outside of the country of modern discovery before 1970

Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above

Informed persons are convinced the piece was acquired in the 1960s. It was on loan to LACMA by 1972.