Page 14 - CHRISTIE'S Himalayan and SOutheast Asian Works of Art 09/13/17

property from the Collection of
Dr. Bertram Schaffner

from the Brooklyn Museum, New York
sold to benefit the acquisitions fund (lots 604-609)

Dr. Bertram Schafner (1913-2010), a renowned New York psychiatrist, is celebrated for his
dedication to and passion for the arts of India, Himalaya, and Southeast Asia. The compassionate
doctor gifted numerous works from his collection as well as acquisition funds to the Brooklyn
Museum of Art. His gifts have been on loan domestically and internationally, broadening the discourse
surrounding the region’s art and culture.

Dr. Schafner began collecting when appreciation for the arts of South and Southeast Asia were in
their infancy. His keen eye and natural curiosity have beneftted various institutions, including the Rubin
Museum in New York City and the Indian Museum, Calcutta.

Dr. Schafner started collecting in his thirties, making his frst purchase of an Indian painting in Paris,
while on leave from the army in 1945. This work was later identifed as a precious example of seventeenth
century Decani painting, boasting immaculate execution of marbling technique. It was not until twenty
years later that Dr. Schafner traveled to India for the frst time. Captivated early on by Indian painting,
this trip ignited an even deeper appreciation for Indian art with a particular enthusiasm for terracotta
sculptures. In 2002 Schafner published his paper entitled, “Androgyny in Indian Culture: Psychoanalytic
Implications,” which merged his professional and personal passions into a single endeavor.

Today, the Bertram H. Schafner Asian Art Fund provides funds to the Brooklyn Museum to acquire new
Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian works to study and share with the public. It is a distinct honor to
present a selection of works from Dr. Bertram H. Schafner to beneft the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

604
A PAINTING OF A WOMAN WITH A FAN

INDIA, RAJASTHAN, KOTA, CIRCA 1750
Opaque watercolor on paper
6Ω x 6√ in. (15.5 x 17.4 cm.), image
12æ x 9º in. (31.7 x 23.5 cm.), folio

$4,000-6,000

印度 拉贾斯坦邦 科塔 約1750 女扇扇子畫

PROVENANCE

New York market, 1990s, by repute.
Accessioned by the Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York, 2010 (TL2010.38.24).

This folio, possibly from a ragamala series, was likely painted in the mid- to
late-eighteenth century. While still retaining luscious detail, the style has
moved away from the thick lines and naturalistic forms of earlier works toward
stylization and a greater contrast between bright and muted colors. The
treatment of the female fgure, most notably the presence of shadowing and
the oversized eye, is distinctive to the Kota school.

Bertram Schafner. Brooklyn Museum Archives. Records of the
Department of Asian Art: Exhibitions. Figures in Clay: Terracottas
from Ancient India [12/05/1973-03/05/1974] Installation view