Sunita Devi (c. 1897 – 3 November 1932), real name Armina Peerbhoy, generally known just as Sunita, was a model for the sculptor

Jacob Epstein Sir Jacob Epstein (10 November 1880 – 21 August 1959) was an American-British sculptor who helped pioneer modern sculpture. He was born in the United States, and moved to Europe in 1902, becoming a British subject in 1911. He often produc ...

Gardiner, Stephen. (1993) ''Epstein: Artist Against the Establishment''. London: Flamingo, pp. 261-2. in London. Her death in India on 3 November 1932 was believed by some to be a political assassination."Beautiful Indian Model Killed as Spy, Those Who Know Her Say," A. John Kobler Jr., ''

The Daily Pantagraph ''The Pantagraph'' is a daily newspaper that serves Bloomington–Normal, Illinois, along with 60 communities and eight counties in the Central Illinois area. Its headquarters are in Bloomington and it is owned by Lee Enterprises. The name is d ...

'', 4 November 1932, p. 1.

Early life

Originally from Kashmir, Sunita was a Muslim who married Ahmed Peerbhoy, a millionaire of Bombay, but some time in the early 1920s went to England with her son Enver and younger sister Anita Patel, who had also left her husband. The sisters joined a troupe of magicians known as the Maysculine Brothers. Sunita performed a stunt that involved sitting in a tank of water fully submerged for five minutes (with the aid of a transparent air hose). They also had a stand selling erotic trinkets at the

British Empire Exhibition The British Empire Exhibition was a colonial exhibition held at Wembley Park, London England from 23 April to 1 November 1924 and from 9 May to 31 October 1925. Background In 1920 the British Government decided to site the British Empire Exhib ...

(1924 to 1925). Sunita developed a persona as an Indian mystic and fortune teller and became known as Princess Sunita.

Matthew Smith

Sunita posed for the artist Matthew Smith from 1924. Their relationship became more than just artist and model. Smith drew her in 1924 and painted her in ''The Red Sari, Sunita Reclining'', and ''The Black Sari, Sunita Wearing a Black Sari''.

Jacob Epstein

Jacob Epstein may have met Sunita at the British Empire Exhibition, where the exotic foreign displays intrigued him, or possibly through his friend Matthew Smith. In 1925 Epstein invited Sunita, Enver and Anita to live at his home at

Guilford Street Guilford Street is a road in Bloomsbury in central London, England, designated the B502. From Russell Square it extends east-northeast to Gray's Inn Road. Note that it is not spelt the same way as Guildford in Surrey. It is, in fact, named aft ...

in London with the agreement of his wife Margaret. Mrs Epstein was trying to end her husband's affair with

Kathleen Garman Kathleen Esther Garman, Lady Epstein (15 May 1901 – August 1979) was the third of the seven Garman sisters, who were high-profile members of artistic circles in mid-20th century London, renowned for their beauty and scandalous behaviour. She ...

by encouraging him into affairs with other women. Dolores, who Mrs Epstein had hoped in vain would tempt her husband away from Kathleen, had recently left the house and now there were two new women that might do the job. It is unclear, however, whether Epstein had any romantic interest in either sister. Epstein sculpted Enver's head in 1926 and 1927 (twice) and heads of Sunita three times in 1926. Sunita and Enver were the models for Epstein's sculpture of ''Madonna and Child'' (1927), though Epstein had great difficulty getting Enver to stand still, which he said was responsible for the relatively unfinished modelling of the boy in the work. Epstein thought Sunita beautiful but

Joseph Duveen Joseph Duveen, 1st Baron Duveen (14 October 1869 – 25 May 1939), known as Sir Joseph Duveen, Baronet, between 1927 and 1933, was a British art dealer who was considered one of the most influential art dealers of all time. Life and career Jos ...

, on seeing ''Madonna and Child'' for the first time, asked, "Why did you not choose a beautiful model?"Epstein, Jacob. (1940)
Let There Be Sculpture
'. New York: Putnam, pp. 114–115. In addition to the sculpture, there were over 100 drawings and watercolours of Sunita, Enver, and Anita.

Death

In 1931 Sunita returned to India, saying, according to the American press, "I am going to my death; I know it is so". In 1932 it was reported that she had died of "intestinal inflammation". Those who knew her outside India believed that she had been poisoned and that her closeness to participants in the Round Table Conferences had meant that she was seen as a spy."Tragic Fates Haunt Paths of Great Sculptor's Models"
William Hillman, ''

The Milwaukee Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently ...

'', 26 November 1932, p. 3. Retrieved 26 October 2014.

References

External links