Provenance Information

Purchased by Mr. James W. Alsdorf, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. The exact date that Mr. Alsdorf purchased this object is unknown; based on the exhibition history, Mr. Alsdorf acquired the object by 1978. Mr. Alsdorf may have acquired the object in 1968 from Otto Schoener, Germany, although attempts to determine this conclusively were unsucessful. 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

The Ideal Image, The Asia House Gallery, New York, Fall 1978, The Art Institute of Chicago, (March 24 – May 1979).

Light of Asia: Buddha Sakyamuni in Asian Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, (March 4 – May 20, 1984); The Art Institute of Chicago, (June 30 – August 26, 1984); The Brooklyn Museum, (November 1, 1984 – February 10, 1985).

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).

In the Footsteps of the Buddha, University Museum and Art Gallery, Hong Kong, China, (September 25 – December 15, 1998).

The object has been displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, from 1999 to 2005 and in the Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan and Islamic Art, from December 2008 to the present.

Publication Information

Ghose, Rajeshwari, In the Footsteps of the Buddha: An Iconic Journey from India to China, Hong Kong: University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, (1998), Plate 44.

Little, Stephen, "Southeast Asian Sculptures from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection." Orientations 28, no. 7 (July – August 1997), p. 61: fig. 9.

Pal, Pratapaditya, “A Collecting Odyssey. Reflections on the Alsdorf Collection”. Arts of Asia, vol. 27, no. 5 (September – October 1997): fig. 17.

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. 123, pl. p. 103.

Pal, Pratapaditya (organizer, with contributing authors), Light of Asia: Buddha Sakyamuni in Asian Art, Los Angeles county Museum of Art, (1984) p. 219.

Pal, Pratapaditya, The Ideal Image. NY: The Asia Society, (1978), Plate 83.

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; based on the exhibition history, Mr. Alsdorf acquired the object by 1978. Mr. Alsdorf may have acquired the object in 1968 from Otto Schoener, Germany, although attempts to determine this conclusively were unsucessful. The work was included in multiple exhibitions in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Hong Kong and has been publicly displayed from 1999 to 2005 and again since December 2008 at the Art Institute of Chicago. It has been published multiple times, including in three catalogues of South Asian art: Light of Asia (1984), A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection (1997); and In the Footsteps of the Buddha (1998). In addition, the acquisition furthers the representation of the artistic achievements of all civilizations in art museums because it is an important example of a bronze Buddha from the Mon-Dvaravati culture showing the interaction between India and Thailand in antiquity.
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., 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

Before 1971: Bobby Ellsworth, New York City

1971: Collection of John and Emmy Bunker

To 1991: Carter Burden (1941-1996), New York

1991: Sale Sotheby’s, New York, Indian and Southeast Asian Art, March 27, 1991, lot 187

2004: Sale, Christie’s, Amsterdam, Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art, October 12, 2004, lot 123

2008: Sale, Sotheby’s, New York, Indian and Southeast Asian Works of Art, September 19, 2008, lot 291

From 2008 Mr and Mrs Gilbert H. Kinney, purchased at Sotheby’s, New York on September 19, 2008

Exhibition Information

"Art of the Gift: Recent Acquisitions", Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, July 24 - December 13, 2015

Publication Information

Boisselier, Jean, Notes Sur l’Art Du Bronze Dans L’ancien Cambodge, pp. 275–334, Artibus Asiae, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, Vol. XXIX, 4, 1967, pps 285, 305-310

Leidy, Denise P. Prakhon Chai and the Art of Southeast Asia in the 7th to 9th Centuries, Arts of Asia, Vol. 30, July/August 2000, no. 4, p. 28-41

Bunker E.C. “Pre-Angkor Period bronzes from Pra kon Chai.” Archives of Asian Art, Vol. 25, 3, (1971), 70-73, fig. 9

Sotheby’s Catalog. Indian and Southeast Asian Art exh. cat. New York, March 1991: fig. 187

Christie’s Catalog. Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art exh. cat. Amsterdam, October 2004: fig. 123, 45

Sotheby’s Catalog. Indian and Southeast Asian Works of Art exh. cat. New York, September 2008: fig. 291, p. 120

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

It has been well published that the Prakhon Chai hoard (from which this item was found) was discovered in 1964 and its objects dispersed by mid-1960’s, see above noted 1967 article by Jean Boisselier.

Provenance Information

probably 1950s/1960s -1981 collection of Drs. Konrad Bekker (1911-1981) and Sarah Bekker McInteer (1923-2013), members of U.S. State Department and stationed in New Delhi, Yangon (then Rangoon), Berne, and Bangkok in the 1950s and 1960s; 1981 estate of Dr. Konrad Bekker; 1981-2013 collection of Dr. Sarah Bekker McInteer (by descent from husband); 2013 estate of Dr. Sarah Bekker McInteer; (2013 with Sloans & Kenyon Auction House, sold as lot #362 from the "Estate of Konrad and Sarah M. Bekker, Arlington, VA" in the "[Sale] 79[:] June Auction of Asian, Jewelry, & Art, June-14-2013", Chevy Chase, MD); 2013 collection of Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (purchased through Sloans & Kenyon)

Exhibition Information

Sloans & Kenyon Auction House, Chevy Chase, MD, pre-sale exhibition for "[Sale] 79[:] June Auction of Asian, Jewelry, & Art, June-14-2013

Publication Information

"Sale 79 Lot 362 Thai Terracotta Head of Buddha", on http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/thai-terracotta-head-of-buddha,-lamphun,-hariphun-362-c-7e1f149008 (accessed Apr-15-2016).

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 object is believed to have been collected during the 1950s/1960s when the previous owners were on assignment for the U.S. State Department, as per correspondence on file.

Provenance Information

c.1994 Private collection, Japan; 2014 Nanri Gallery, Osaka, Japan, purchased from private collection; 2014
Zetterquist Galleries, New York, NY; 2015 Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Zetterquist Galleries

Exhibition Information

None known.

Publication Information

None known.

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

It is not clear that this object was ever in an archaeological context.

Provenance Information

c.1919–1990 collection of Dr. Julius Gattner (1894–1990), Endicott, NY (possibly purchased at auction in New York, NY); 1990 estate of Dr. Julius Gattner; 1990–2010 collection of Nancy J. Powell (1925–2011), Vestal, NY and Mesa, Arizona (bequest of Dr. Gattner); 2010 collection of Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (gift of Nancy J. Powell through University Art Museum at SUNY Binghamton)

Exhibition Information

n/a

Publication Information

n/a

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 object was in the collection of Dr. Julius Gattner (1894-1990), Endicott, NY from around 1919 until his death in 1990, as per correspondence dated Apr-20-1994, on file.

Provenance Information

c.1919–1990 collection of Dr. Julius Gattner (1894–1990), Endicott, NY (possibly purchased at auction in New York, NY); 1990 estate of Dr. Julius Gattner; 1990–2010 collection of Nancy J. Powell (1925–2011), Vestal, NY and Mesa, Arizona (bequest of Dr. Gattner); 2010 collection of Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (gift of Nancy J. Powell through University Art Museum at SUNY Binghamton)

Exhibition Information

Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, "This is no Less Curious": Journeys Through the Collection, January 24 - April 12, 2015

Publication Information

n/a

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 object was in the collection of Dr. Julius Gattner (1894-1990), Endicott, NY from around 1919 until his death in 1990, as per correspondence dated Apr-20-1994, on file.

Provenance Information

n.d.-by 2013 collection of Hiromu Honda, Japan; (by 2013 with Noriki Shimazu, Osaka (on consignment from Honda collection)); 2013 collection of Zetterquist Galleries, New York (purchased through Noriki Shimazu); 2013 Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca (purchased from Zetterquist Galleries)

Exhibition Information

n/a

Publication Information

n/a

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

It is not clear that this object was ever in an archaeological context, and it is the type of object that may have been exported to Japan early on.

Provenance Information

by 2006 - 2008 collection of Robert Tichane, Painted Post, NY; 2008 Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca (gift of Robert Tichane)

Exhibition Information

N/A

Publication Information

N/A

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 donor pledged this object, along with several others, to the museum prior to 2008, as per correspondence dated 2006, on file.

Provenance Information

by 2006 - 2008 collection of Robert Tichane, Painted Post, NY; 2008 Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca (gift of Robert Tichane)

Exhibition Information

N/A

Publication Information

N/A

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 donor pledged this object, along with several others, to the museum prior to 2008, as per correspondence dated 2006, on file.