Provenance Information

With Spink & Son, London, Apr. 8, 1982 [this and the following according to invoice from Spink & Son, London, Apr. 8, 1982; copy in curatorial object file]; sold to James W. Alsdorf (1913–1990) and Marilynn B. Alsdorf (1925–2019), Winnetka and Chicago, IL, by 1982; by descent to Marilynn B. Alsdorf, Chicago, 1990 [on long-term loan at the Art Institute of Chicago, Sept. 23, 1983; signed a promised gift agreement for the work, 2008]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2021.

Exhibition Information

London, Spink & Son, Two Thousand Years of Indian Art, Apr. 6–23, 1982, cat. 11.

Publication Information

Two Thousand Years of Indian Art, exh. cat. (London: Spink & Son Ltd., 1982), 41 (ill), 8, cat. 11.

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: cumulative facts and circumstances as well as gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008. 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 object was purchased by James Alsdorf and Marilynn Alsdorf, Winnetka and Chicago, Illinois, from Spink & Son, London in 1982 according to the invoice, a copy of which is in the curatorial object file. Attempts to determine from whom the gallery acquired the object were unsuccessful. The object was exhibited at Spink & Son, London and published in their catalog Two Thousand Years of Indian Art in 1982. The object has also been publicly displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago in the Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art Galleries in McKinlock Court from 1994 to 2005, and again in the Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan and Islamic Art between 2008 to 2018. In addition, the object is the best example in the Art Institute’s collection of a male terracotta head from the classical Gupta period (4th/5th Century CE) of Indian art. Second, the acquisition of the object was by gift and the object was on loan to the Art Institute prior to 2008. The Alsdorfs lent the object to the Art Institute of Chicago on Sept. 23, 1983; Marilynn Alsdorf publicly promised the object as a gift to the museum in 1997; and the object joined a larger group of promised gifts in an agreement signed on Apr. 23, 2008.

Provenance Information

With Kapoor Galleries, New York, by 1983 [this and the following according to invoice from Kapoor Galleries, July 27, 1983; copy in curatorial object file]; sold to James W. Alsdorf (1913–1990) and Marilynn B. Alsdorf (1925–2019), Winnetka and Chicago, IL, 1983; by descent to Marilynn B. Alsdorf, Chicago, 1990 [on long-term loan at the Art Institute of Chicago, Sept. 23, 1983; publicly promised as a gift to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1997; signed a promised gift agreement for the work, Apr. 23, 2008]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2021.

Exhibition Information

Brooklyn Museum of Art, From Indian Earth: 4,000 Years of Terracotta Art, Jan. 17–Apr. 14, 1986, cat. 95.

Publication Information

Amy G. Poster, From Indian Earth: 4,000 Years of Terracotta Art. (New York: The Brooklyn Museum, 1986), 57, cat. 95.

Pratapaditya Pal 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, 1997), 41 (ill.), cat. 40, 280–1.

Laxshmi Greaves, “Locating the Lost Gupta Period Ramayana Reliefs from Katingara, Uttar Pradesh” Religions of South Asia, 12, no 2, Equinox Online, 2018: 117–153.

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: cumulative facts and circumstances as well as gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008. 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 object was purchased by James Alsdorf and Marilynn Alsdorf, Winnetka and Chicago, Illinois, from Kapoor Galleries, New York in 1983, according to the invoice, a copy of which is in the curatorial object file. Attempts to determine from whom the gallery acquired the object were unsuccessful. The object was included in an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in 1986 and has also been displayed publicly at the Art Institute of Chicago, in the Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art Galleries in McKinlock Court from 2000 to 2005, and again in the Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan and Islamic Art between 2008 to 2018. The object has been published in two major catalogs and in one article on South Asian Art: From Indian Earth: 4,000 Years of Terracotta Art (1986); A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection (1997); and “Locating the Lost Gupta Period Ramayana Reliefs from Katingara, Uttar Pradesh” (2018). In addition, the object will be the only example in the Art Institute’s collection of a terracotta frieze from the Ramayana epic depicting a narrative from the classical Gupta period (5th/6th Century CE) of Indian art. Second, the acquisition of the object was by gift and the object was on loan to the Art Institute prior to 2008. The Alsdorfs lent the object to the Art Institute of Chicago on Sept. 23, 1983; Marilynn Alsdorf publicly promised the object as a gift to the museum in 1997; and the object joined a larger group of promised gifts in an agreement signed on Apr. 23, 2008.

Provenance Information

With James Singer, London, by Oct. 18, 1981 [this and the following according to receipt from James Singer, Oct. 18, 1981; copy in curatorial object file]; sold to James W. Alsdorf (1913–1990) and Marilynn B. Alsdorf (1925–2019), Winnetka and Chicago, IL, Oct. 18, 1981; by descent to Marilynn B. Alsdorf, Chicago, 1990 [on long-term loan, Washington, D.C., Arthur Sackler Museum of Art, 1992–1996; publicly promised as a gift to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1997; signed a promised gift agreement for the work, 2008]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2021.

Exhibition Information

Washington, DC, Arthur Sackler Museum of Art, Sculpture of South and Southeast Asia, Nov. 19, 1993 –Jul. 11, 1996, no cat.

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 acquisition falls within two exceptions: cumulative facts and circumstances as well as gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008. 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 object was purchased by James Alsdorf and Marilynn Alsdorf, Winnetka and Chicago, Illinois, from James Singer, London in 1981, according to the receipt, a copy of which is in the curatorial files. Attempts to determine from whom Singer acquired the object were unsuccessful. The object was exhibited on long-term loan in Washington, D.C. at the Arthur Sackler Museum of Art between 1993 and 1996, and has also been displayed publicly at the Art Institute of Chicago, in the Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art Galleries in McKinlock Court from 2000 to 2005, and again in the Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan and Islamic Art between 2008 to 2018. In addition, the object will be the only example in the Art Institute’s collection of the heroes of the Ramayana epic, Rama and Lakshmana holding bows, seated under a tree, from the classical Gupta period (5th/6th Century CE) of Indian art. Second, the acquisition of the object was by gift and the object was on loan to the Art Institute prior to 2008. The Alsdorfs lent the object to the Art Institute of Chicago on July 18, 1996; Marilynn Alsdorf publicly promised the object as a gift to the museum in 1997; and the object joined a larger group of promised gifts in an agreement signed on Apr. 23, 2008.

Provenance Information

With John Siudmak, London, by Apr. 15, 1983 [this and the following according to receipt from John Siudmak, Apr. 15, 1983; copy in curatorial object file]; sold to James W. Alsdorf (1913–1990) and Marilynn B. Alsdorf (1925–2019), Winnetka and Chicago, IL, Apr. 15, 1983; by descent to Marilynn B. Alsdorf, Chicago, 1990 [on long-term loan, Washington, D.C., Arthur Sackler Museum of Art, 1992–96; publicly promised as a gift to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1997; signed a promised gift agreement for the work, 2002]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2021.

Exhibition Information

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Light of Asia: Buddha Sakyamuni in Asian Art, Mar. 4–May 20, 1984, cat. 75; The Art Institute of Chicago, June 30–Aug. 26, 1984; The Brooklyn Museum, Nov. 1, 1984–Feb. 10, 1985.

Washington, DC, Arthur Sackler Museum of Art, Sculpture of South and Southeast Asia, Nov. 19, 1993 –Jul. 11, 1996, no cat.

Art Institute of Chicago, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Aug. 2–Oct. 26, 1997, cat. 100.

Hong Kong, University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, In the Footsteps of Buddha: An Iconic Journey from India to China, Sept. 25–Dec. 15, 1998, cat. 21.

Memphis, TN, The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Realm of the Gods: Masterpieces of Indian Sculpture from The Art Institute of Chicago and The Alsdorf Collection, Apr. 30–Jul. 23, 2000, no cat.

Publication Information

Stanislaw J. Czuma with the assistance of Rekha Morris, Kushan Sculpture: Images from Early India (Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1984), 66.

Pratapaditya Pal, Light of Asia. Buddha Sakyamuni in Asian Art (Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1984), 192, cat. 75.

Pratapaditya Pal (ed.), Indian Sculpture: A Catalogue of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Collection (Los Angeles: LACMA/University of California, 1986), 1:181.

Pratapaditya Pal (ed.), A Pot–Pouri of Indian Art. (Bombay: Marg Publications, 1988), 4–5, figs. 3–4.

Milo Beach, The New Cambridge History of India: Mughal and Rajput Painting (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992), 107, cat. 77.

Pratapaditya Pal 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, 1997), 86–7 (ill.), 293–94, cat. 100.

Woodman Taylor, “Portability and Practice: Valences of Early Buddhist Visual Language,” Orientations 28.7 (July/Aug. 1997): 38–41, fig. 1a.

Jerome M. Eisenberg, “Indian and Southeast Asian Art from the Alsdorf Collection: A Collecting Odyssey,” Minerva 8:5 (Sept. /Oct. 1997): 15–18, fig. 1.

Rajeshwari Ghose, 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), 171, figs. 21a and b, cat. 21.

Madhuvanti Ghose, The Origins and Early Development of Anthropomorphic Indian Iconography (PhD Dissertation, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 2002), 259, 333 (ill.).

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: cumulative facts and circumstances as well as gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008. 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 object was purchased by James Alsdorf and Marilynn Alsdorf, Winnetka and Chicago, Illinois, in 1983 from John Siudmak, London, according to the receipt, a copy of which is in the curatorial files. Attempts to determine from whom John Siudmak acquired the object were unsuccessful. The object was first exhibited by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1984, and traveled to the Art Institute of Chicago and the Brooklyn Museum. The object was exhibited in Washington, D.C. at the Arthur Sackler Museum of Art between 1993 and 1996, and also appeared in exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997, the Hong Kong University Museum and Art Gallery in 1998, and The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in 2000. It was also publicly displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago in the Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan and Islamic Art from 2018 to 2021. This object has been published in ten catalogs, books, and articles on South Asian Art since 1984: Kushan Sculpture: Images from Early India (1984), Light of Asia. Buddha Sakyamuni in Asian Art (1984), Indian Sculpture: A Catalogue of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Collection (1986), A Pot–Pouri of Indian Art (1988), The New Cambridge History of India: Mughal and Rajput Painting (1992), A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection (1997), “Portability and Practice: Valences of Early Buddhist Visual Language” (1997), “Indian and Southeast Asian Art from the Alsdorf Collection: A Collecting Odyssey” (1997), In the Footsteps of the Buddha: An Iconic Journey from India to China (1998), and The Origins and Early Development of Anthropomorphic Indian Iconography (2002). In addition, the object will be the only example in the Art Institute’s collection of an early Buddha Shakyamuni with attendants seated under a tree from the Kushan period in Mathura, India, from the 2nd century CE. Second, the acquisition of the object was by gift and the object was on loan to the Art Institute prior to 2008. The Alsdorfs lent the object to the Art Institute of Chicago on July 15, 1997; Marilynn Alsdorf publicly promised the object as a gift to the museum in 1997; and the object joined a larger group of promised gifts in an agreement signed in 2002.

Provenance Information

S. Osman Ali, Karachi, Pakistan and Washington, D.C. J. William Middendorf II (born 1924), Washington, D.C., by 1976; sold, Sotheby Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, Apr. 21, 1976, lot 123, to James W. Alsdorf (1913–1990) and Marilynn B. Alsdorf (1925–2019), Winnetka and Chicago, IL; by descent to Marilynn B. Alsdorf, Chicago, 1990 [on long-term loan at the Art Institute of Chicago, July 15, 1997; publicly promised as a gift to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1997; signed a promised gift agreement for the work, 2002]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2021.

Exhibition Information

Art Institute of Chicago, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Aug. 2–Oct. 26, 1997, cat. 110.

Publication Information

Pratapaditya Pal 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, 1997), 94 (ill.), 296–97, cat. 110.

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 of gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008 and cumulative facts and circumstances. 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 object was purchased by James Alsdorf and Marilynn Alsdorf, Winnetka and Chicago, Illinois, from Sotheby Parke–Bernet Galleries, New York in 1976, according to the receipt, a copy of which is in the curatorial object file. According to the auction catalog, the object was previously in the collection of J. William Middendorf II in Washington, D.C., and, at an unspecified date, in the prior collection of S. Osman Ali, Karachi Pakistan. Attempts to determine from whom S. Osman Ali acquired the object were unsuccessful. The object was exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997, and published in the accompanying catalog: A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art (1997). The acquisition is the only sculpture representing a seated Buddha in dharmachakrapravartanamudra (turning the wheel of law) from the Graeco-Buddhist art of ancient Gandhara. The acquisition depicts the Buddha’s first sermon after enlightenment; it therefore will contribute to a more fulsome story of Buddhism as presented in our galleries. Second, the acquisition of the object was by gift and the object was on loan to the Art Institute prior to 2008. The Alsdorfs lent the object to the Art Institute of Chicago on July 15, 1997; Marilynn Alsdorf publicly promised the object as a gift to the museum in 1997; and the object joined a larger group of promised gifts in an agreement signed in 2002.

Provenance Information

James W. Alsdorf (1913–1990) and Marilynn B. Alsdorf (1925–2019), Winnetka and Chicago, IL, by 1990 [according to the collecting practices of the Alsdorfs]; by descent to Marilynn B. Alsdorf, Chicago, 1990 [on long-term loan at the Art Institute of Chicago, Sept. 17, 1997; publicly promised as a gift to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1997; signed a promised gift agreement for the work, 2002]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2021.

Exhibition Information

Art Institute of Chicago, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Aug. 2–Oct. 26, 1997, cat. 108.

Publication Information

Pratapaditya Pal 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, 1997), 93 (ill.), 296, cat. 108.

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: cumulative facts and circumstances as well as gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008. 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 the Alsdorfs purchased this object is unknown, but based on their collecting practices, the object was acquired before the death of James Alsdorf on April 24, 1990. Attempts to determine from whom the Alsdorfs acquired the object were unsuccessful. The object was exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997, and published in the accompanying catalog: A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art (1997). The object was displayed publicly there, in the Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan and Islamic Art from 2021 to the present. In addition, the object will be the only example in the Art Institute’s collection of an architectural fragment of a gable from a Gandharan stupa, rendered in the Greco-Roman style, which originated during the Kushan period (2nd/3rd century CE). Second, the acquisition of the object was by gift and the object was on loan to the Art Institute prior to 2008. The Alsdorfs lent the object to the Art Institute of Chicago on Sept. 17, 1997; Marilynn Alsdorf publicly promised the object as a gift to the museum in 1997; and the object joined a larger group of promised gifts in an agreement signed in 2002.

Provenance Information

With James Singer, Oriental Art, London, by Feb. 21, 1979 [this and the following according to receipts from James Singer, Feb. 21 and Mar. 1, 1979; copies in curatorial object file]; sold to James W. Alsdorf (1913–1990) and Marilynn B. Alsdorf (1925–2019), Winnetka and Chicago, IL, Feb. 21, 1979; by descent to Marilynn B. Alsdorf, Chicago, 1990 [on long-term loan at the Art Institute, Sept. 17, 1997; publicly promised as a gift to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1997; signed a promised gift agreement for the work, 2002]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2021.

Exhibition Information

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Manifestations of Shiva, Mar. 29–June 7, 1981, cat. 61; Fort Worth, TX, Kimbell Art Museum, Aug. 1–Sept. 27, 1981; Seattle Art Museum, Nov. 25, 1981–Jan. 31, 1982; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Mar. 23–May 5, 1982.

Art Institute of Chicago, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Aug. 2–Oct. 26, 1997, cat. 54.

Publication Information

Stella Kramrisch, Manifestations of Shiva (Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1981), 74–75, cat. 61.

Sara L. Schastok, The Samalaji Sculptures and 6th century Art in Western India (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1985), 59, fn. 10.

Pratapaditya Pal 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, 1997), 51 (ill.), 284–85, cat. 54.

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: cumulative facts and circumstances as well as gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008. 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 object was purchased by James Alsdorf and Marilynn Alsdorf, Winnetka and Chicago, Illinois, in 1979 from James Singer, Oriental Art, London, according to the receipts, copies of which are in the curatorial files. Attempts to determine from whom the gallery acquired the object were unsuccessful. The object was first exhibited at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1981, and traveled to the Kimbell Art Museum, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It also appeared in an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997. The object was publicly displayed in the Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art Galleries in McKinlock Court between 2003 and 2004, and in the Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan and Islamic Art between 2008 to 2017, and again since 2018. The object has been published in three major catalogs on South Asian Art: Manifestations of Shiva (1981); The Samalaji Sculptures and 6th century Art in Western India (1985); and in A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection (1997). In addition, the object will be the earliest example in the Art Institute’s collection of a representation of the god Ganesha from the Kushan-Gupta transitional period in Mathura, India, from the 3rd/4th century CE. Second, the acquisition of the object was by gift and the object was on loan to the Art Institute prior to 2008. The Alsdorfs lent the object to the Art Institute of Chicago on Sept. 17, 1997; Marilynn Alsdorf publicly promised the object as a gift to the museum in 1997; and the object joined a larger group of promised gifts in an agreement signed in 2002.

Provenance Information

With Spink & Son, London, by June 5, 1980 [this and the following according to receipt from Spink & Son, June 5, 1980; copy in curatorial object file]; sold to James W. Alsdorf (1913–1990) and Marilynn B. Alsdorf (1925–2019), Winnetka and Chicago, IL, June 5, 1980; by descent to Marilynn B. Alsdorf, Chicago, 1990 [on long-term loan at the Art Institute of Chicago, Sept. 17, 1997; publicly promised as a gift to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1997; signed a promised gift agreement for the work, 2002]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2021.

Exhibition Information

Art Institute of Chicago, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Aug. 2–Oct. 26, 1997, cat. 26.

Publication Information

Pratapaditya Pal 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, 1997), 30 (ill.), 277–78, cat. 26.

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: cumulative facts and circumstances as well as gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008. 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 object was purchased by James Alsdorf and Marilynn Alsdorf, Winnetka and Chicago, Illinois, from Spink & Son, London in 1980, according to the receipt, a copy of which is in the curatorial object file. Attempts to determine from whom the gallery acquired the object were unsuccessful. The object was exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997, and published in the accompanying catalog, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art (1997). The object has also been publicly displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago in the Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art Galleries in McKinlock Court from 1999 to 2005, and again in the the Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan and Islamic Art from 2008 to 2017, and again since 2018. In addition, the object will be the only example in the Art Institute’s collection of the four-armed god Vishnu from the classical Gupta period from around Mathura, India, from the 5th century CE. Second, the acquisition of the object was by gift and the object was on loan to the Art Institute prior to 2008. The Alsdorfs lent the object to the Art Institute of Chicago on Sept. 17, 1997; Marilynn Alsdorf publicly promised the object as a gift to the museum in 1997; and the object joined a larger group of promised gifts in an agreement signed in 2002.

Provenance Information

James W. Alsdorf (1913–1990) and Marilynn B. Alsdorf (1925–2019), Winnetka and Chicago, IL, by Oct. 5, 1978 [New York 1978]; by descent to Marilynn B. Alsdorf, Chicago, 1990 [on long-term loan at the Art Institute of Chicago, Sept. 17, 1997; publicly promised as a gift to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1997; signed a promised gift agreement for the work, 2002]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2021.

Exhibition Information

New York, The Asia Society, The Ideal Image: The Gupta Sculptural Tradition and Its Influence, Oct. 5– Dec. 3, 1978, cat. 51.

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Manifestations of Shiva, Mar. 29–June 7, 1981, cat. 4; Fort Worth, TX, Kimbell Art Museum, Aug. 1–Sept. 27, 1981; Seattle Art Museum, Nov. 25, 1981–Jan. 31, 1982; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Mar. 23–May 5, 1982.

Art Institute of Chicago, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Aug. 2–Oct. 26, 1997, cat. 5.

Publication Information

Pratapaditya Pal, The Ideal Image. The Gupta Sculptural Tradition and Its Influence (New York: The Asia Society/John Weatherhill, Inc., 1978), 101, cat. 51.

Stella Kramrisch, Manifestations of Shiva (Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1981), 5, cat. 4.

Pratapaditya Pal 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, 1997), 14 (ill.), 272–73, cat. 5.

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: cumulative facts and circumstances as well as gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008. 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 this object was purchased is unknown; according to the exhibition history, the object was acquired by the Alsdorfs before Oct. 5, 1978. Attempts to determine from whom the Alsdorfs acquired the object were unsuccessful. The object was first exhibited by The Asia Society in New York in 1978. It was also part of an exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1981, which traveled to the Kimbell Art Museum, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It appeared in an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1997 and was displayed publicly there, in the Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art Galleries in McKinlock Court from 2001 until 2005, and again in the Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan and Islamic Art between 2008 to 2017 and from 2018 to the present. The object has been published in three major catalogs on South Asian Art: The Ideal Image, The Gupta Sculptural Tradition and Its Influence (1978); Manifestations of Shiva (1981); and in A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection (1997). In addition, the object will be the only example in the Art Institute’s collection of an Ekamukhalinga sculpture, the focus of Shaivite worship, from the classical Gupta period (6th century CE) of Indian art. Second, the acquisition of the object was by gift and the object was on loan to the Art Institute prior to 2008. The Alsdorfs lent the object to the Art Institute of Chicago on Sept. 17, 1997; Marilynn Alsdorf publicly promised the object as a gift to the museum in 1997; and the object joined a larger group of promised gifts in an agreement signed in 2002.

Provenance Information

With Galerie d’Art de la Compagnie de la Chine et des Indes, Paris, 1972 [this and the following according to invoice from Galerie d’Art de la Compagnie de la Chine et des Indes, June 21, 1972; copy in curatorial object file]; sold to James W. Alsdorf (1913–1990) and Marilynn B. Alsdorf (1925–2019), Winnetka and Chicago, IL, by 1972; by descent to Marilynn B. Alsdorf, Chicago, 1990 [on long-term loan at the Art Institute of Chicago, Feb. 8, 1983; signed a promised gift agreement for the work, 2008]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2021.

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 acquisition falls within two exceptions: cumulative facts and circumstances as well as gift or bequest expected or on loan prior to 2008. 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 object was purchased by James Alsdorf and Marilynn Alsdorf, Winnetka and Chicago, in 1972 from Galerie d’Art de la Compagnie de la Chine et des Indes, Paris, according to the invoice, a copy of which is in the curatorial object file. Attempts to determine from whom the gallery acquired the object were unsuccessful. The object was publicly displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago in the Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art Galleries in McKinlock Court from 1994 to 2005, and again in the Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan and Islamic Art between 2008 and 2018. In addition, the object is the only example in the Art Institute’s collection of a life-size terracotta head of a deity from the classical Gupta period (4th/5th Century CE) of Indian art. Second, the acquisition of the object was by gift and the object was on loan to the Art Institute of Chicago prior to 2008. The Alsdorfs lent the object to the Art Institute of Chicago on Feb. 8, 1983. Marilynn Alsdorf signed a promised gift agreement for the object on Apr. 23, 2008.