The sage-physician Dhanvantari, folio from the “Sixth” Bhagavata Purana series, also known as the “small” Guler-Basohli series

Guler school Dressed in the fashion of a nobleman at the court of Shah Jahan, the divine sage Dhanvantari wears a white jama and a gold-bordered patka (sash) adorned with a large flower motif. His beard is white, his face wrinkled with age, and he wears a Vaishnava tilak mark on his forehead. He sits on a yellow carpet decorated with gray-green leaves and maroon flowers. A narrow strip of cloud-streaked sky borders the brilliant orange ground. He holds two objects that may be associated with medicine. Verso: Three lines of Devanagari script in black and red ink: Herewith ends the first chapter Bhagavat Mahapurana. Dhanvantari (twelfth avatar) 16 To 1967 Essajees, Mumbai, India. [1] From 1967 to 2001 Ralph Benkaim (1914-2001), Beverly Hills, California, purchased from the Essajees, Mumbai, India in December 1967. [2] From 2001 to 2018 Catherine Glynn Benkaim, Beverly Hills, California, by inheritance from Ralph Benkaim in 2001. [3] From 2018 Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, partial gift and purchase from Catherine Glyn Benkaim. [4] Notes: [1] Ralph Benkaim purchased the painting in December 1967 from the Essajees of Mumbai, several years before Indian paintings were classified as antiquities by the Indian government. [2] See note 1. [3] See Acquisition Justification Form, object file, Collections Management Office. [4] See note 3. National Museum of Asian Art Collection Essajee's (founded 1890) Ralph (1914-2001) and Catherine Benkaim Catherine Glynn Benkaim