Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); recto: text; verso: right-hand half of a double-page illumination

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskh and thuluth script with few sentences in white outlined in black; recto: text, one column, 25 lines, verso: right-hand half of a double-page illumination, detached from the facing folio (S1986.111), text, one column, 14 lines; one of a group of 12 folios. patron: Qiwam al-Dawla wa’l-Din
Border: The recto and verso are set in red and black rulings mounted on cream-colored paper.

Maker(s)
Calligrapher: Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Husayni (known as) Mawsili
Patron: Qiwam al-Dawla wa'l-Din
Historical period(s)
Inju dynasty, Mongol period, 1341 (741 A.H.)
Medium
Ink, color and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 36 x 27.7 cm (14 3/16 x 10 7/8 in)
Geography
Iran, Shiraz
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S1986.110
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Detached manuscript folio

Keywords
Henri Vever collection, illumination, Inju dynasty (1335 - 1357), Iran, Mongol period (1220 - 1380), Shahnama, shamsa
Provenance

Charles Vignier (1863-1934), Paris, France. [1]

To 1942
Henri Vever (1854-1942), Paris and Noyers, France. [2]

From 1942 to 1986
Family member, Paris and Boulogne, France, by inheritance from Henri Vever, Paris and Noyers, France. [3]

From 1986
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, purchased from a family member, Paris and Boulogne, France. [4]

Notes:

[1] See Susan Nemazee, "Appendix 7: Chart of Recent Provenance" in An Annotated and Illustrated Checklist of the Vever Collection, Glenn D. Lowry et al (Washington, DC: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1988), p. 402.

[2] See note 1.

[3] See the Agreement for the Purchase and Sale of the Henri Vever Collection of January 9, 1986, Collections Management Office.

[4] See note 3.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Henri Vever 1854-1942
Charles Vignier 1863-1934
Francois Mautin 1907-2003

Description

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskh and thuluth script with few sentences in white outlined in black; recto: text, one column, 25 lines, verso: right-hand half of a double-page illumination, detached from the facing folio (S1986.111), text, one column, 14 lines; one of a group of 12 folios. patron: Qiwam al-Dawla wa'l-Din
Border: The recto and verso are set in red and black rulings mounted on cream-colored paper.

Inscription(s)

Illuminated shamsa: "for the flourishing library of the great lord, honorable minister, chief vizier of glorious Fars, possessor of generosity, source of liberality and virtue, the second judge in place, lover of the righteous, refuge to the poor and humble, glory of pilgrims to the house of God, the venerable Hajji Qiwam al-Dawla wa'l-Din Hasan. May God prolong his greatness, and may he have divine guidance for good deeds and mercy upon his ancestors. Mercy of God upon a faithful servant." [The Persian word "fal" follows the inscription.]

Published References
  • Marie Lukens Swietochowski, Stephano Carboni. Illustrated Poetry and Epic Images: Persian Painting of the 1330s and 1340s. New York. p. 16, fig. 9.
  • Glenn D. Lowry, Milo Cleveland Beach, Elisabeth West FitzHugh, Susan Nemanzee, Janet Snyder. An Annotated and Illustrated Checklist of the Vever Collection. Washington and Seattle. cat. 76, p. 70.
  • Henry Corbin, Paul Pelliot, Eustache de Lorey. Les Arts de l'Iran, l'ancienne Perse, et Bagdad. Paris. cat. 21, p. 141.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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