Page 10 - Maitri CollectionAsian Art Bonhams

I N T R ODU C TI O N

The Maitri Collection’s owner humbly declines being called a ‘collector’, not
wanting to put on airs about a grand vision or to be mistakenly placed in the
same category as lauded behemoths like Henry Clay Frick or John Pierpont
Morgan. But as Dr. Pratapaditya Pal once told him: if he bought more than
one piece, he’s a collector; and we’re inclined to side with the good doctor.

He claims there was little greater design than wanting to be surrounded
by beauty. And while at first glance, his collection may appear to be an
assortment of mostly Hindu and Buddhist art from the vast landmass
spanning Iran, India, the Himalayas, Inner Mongolia, and Mainland Southeast
Asia, a closer inspection and knowledge of the personality that assembled it
reveals a deeper unity and consistent thread running through.

Maitri is a Sanskrit term widely applicable throughout all Indic religions that
1
means friendliness, good-will, loving kindness, and benevolence-personified.
The word’s root and derivatives were propelled to prime significance in
Buddhist scripture, where maitri is regarded as the first of four sublime
Buddhist virtues (brahmaviharas), alongside compassion, empathetic joy, and
equanimity. Maitri is also personified at certain times in Indic religions, most
noticeably in the future Buddha Maitreya.

To meet our collector is to immediately meet with gentleness and amiability.
He is charming, quick to smile, and obliging. Meanwhile, to look among
the kind expressions of his Thai buddhas, or the reassuring gestures of his
Nepalese deities, the merriment of his dancing Ganeshas, or the sensitivity
afforded to his painted birds and baby Krishnas, one sees a unifying spirit of
maitri throughout the collection.

Perhaps more nourishing than beauty, the greatest gift from collecting
antiques lies in its own form of self-expression. By choosing to value a
certain object over a near-infinite amount of possibilities, the collector affirms
something he or she believes to be important in the world. And each piece
in The Maitri Collection is ever a reminder to its owner of the principles of
affability and generosity that he holds dear and that have served him well
throughout life. Their gathering is a reminder of the friendships he has
cultivated with the various esteemed dealers who brought these fantastic
objects to his attention. It has been a great pleasure for us at Bonhams to
recognize the mirror of the man in his collection and explore the theme of
maitri in its various manifestations.

1 Monier Williams Online Sanskrit-English Dictionary (2008 revision); Buswell
Jr. & Lopez Jr., The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton, 2013.

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