Provenance research aims to establish the history of ownership of a work of art, from the time of its creation to the present.
The Art Gallery of NSW is currently undertaking provenance research across the Asian art collection. This is an ongoing process and many of the objects have long histories without written records.
The Indian paintings in this group were presented to the Gallery by Mr George Sandwith in 1958 and by Dr Nigel and Mrs Norma Hawkins in 2010. The 18 south Indian paintings donated by Sandwith were probably commissioned by Mr Warren Hastings (1732–1818), the first Governor General of India.
Click on an image to see the collection record for a work of art including its provenance. Details will be updated as further information becomes available.
It is important to note:
● No claims have been made against any of these works of art.
● Gaps in provenance do not necessarily indicate theft or looting.
● For many works of art, details may never be found.
The Art Gallery of NSW welcomes any information regarding the provenance of works of art in the collection. To share your knowledge, please contact provenance@ag.nsw.gov.au