Lot Essay
The present work was collected by John Crews Rainey, an architect who designed interiors for many important government commissions in India and Pakistan, include the estate of President Ayub Khan of Pakistan and the Ambassador’s Residence in Delhi, as well as important American projects including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. While working on these South Asian commissions, he developed a great passion and taste for art from the ancient region of Gandhara, building a collection that would define the interior of his New York City townhouse, which was profiled in The Social Register.