- Provenance
-
1341-?
Qawam ud-dawla wa'l-din (ca. 1303-1353), vizier of Abu-Ishak, the Inju ruler of Fars commissioned in 1341 [1]1341-1932
Gap in ownership knowledge?-1932
Indjoudjian Frères, method of acquisition unknown [2]1932
Sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot "Objets d'art proche-orient des grandes époques ... provenant de la collection de Indjoudjian" December 19, 1932, lot 22 [3]?-1942
Henri Vever (1854-1942), method of acquisition unknown [4]1942-1947
Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947), bequest of Henri Vever [5]1947-1986
Francois Mautin (1907-2003), bequest of Jeanne Louise Monthiers and Henri Vever [6]From 1986
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery purchased from Francois Mautin [7]Notes:
[1] See Glenn D. Lowry and Milo Cleveland Beach with Roya Marefat and Wheeler Thackston, "An Annotated and Illustrated Checklist of the Vever Collection" [book] (Washington, D.C. and Seattle: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and University of Washington Press, 1988), 77. This folio belongs to a manuscript commissioned by Qawam ud-dawla wa'l-din in 1341. The manuscript was taken apart and dispersed in the early twentieth century.
[2] See auction catalogue cited in note 2. Indjoudjian Frères was an antiquities dealership based in Paris and New York, owned by the Armenian-born brothers Agop (1871-1951) and Meguerditch (1884-1927).
[3] See Hôtel Drouot "Objets d'art Proche-Orient des grandes époques ... provenant de la collection de Indjoudjian" [auction catalogue] (Paris : December 19, 1932), lot 22. The folio is described as « ROUSTEM combattant le DRAGON. Ces enluminures son parmi les plus belles d'un art fortement apparenté à celui de Rhagès. » The catalogue misidentified the figure.
[4] An accomplished French jeweler and collector, Henri Vever (1854-1942) amassed a large and impressive collection of works of art during his lifetime. His holdings in Japanese prints and Islamic arts of the books, especially from Iran and India, were among the most important assembled in the early twentieth century.
[5] Upon Henri Vever's death on September 25, 1942, his wife, Jeanne Louise Monthiers inherited the work. See exhibits F and G of Agreement of Purchase and Sale of the Henri Vever Collection, January 9, 1986, copy in object file.
[6] Upon the death of Jeanne Louise Monthiers, as stipulated in the will of Henri Vever, the family's assets were divided evenly between his two grandchildren. His only grandson, Francois Mautin inherited the collection known as "The Henri Vever Collection of Oriental Art and Manuscripts Including Persian and Indian Art and Manuscripts." This work is part of that collection. See exhibits F and G as cited in note 5.
[7] The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery purchased the entirety of the collection from Francois Mautin on January 9, 1986. See purchase agreement, copy in object file.
Research completed May 4, 2022.
- Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)
-
Qiwam al-Dawla wa'l-Din
Indjoudjian Freres
Henri Vever 1854-1942
Jeanne Louise Monthiers 1861-1947
Francois Mautin 1907-2003
- Description
-
Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black nasta'liq script; recto: illustration and text, Bahram Gur slays a dragon in India, text, Bahram marries the daughter of Shangal, king of India, 6 columns, 20 lines; verso: text, Bahram Gur flees from India, 6 columns, 30 lines; one of a group of twelve folios. Patron: Qiwan al-Dawla wa'l-Din.
Border: The recto and verso are set in red and brown rulings on cream-colored paper.
- Published References
-
- 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. 84, p. 75.
- Henry Corbin, Paul Pelliot, Eustache de Lorey. Les Arts de l'Iran, l'ancienne Perse, et Bagdad. Paris. cat. 21.7, p. 141.
- Collection Area(s)
- Arts of the Islamic World
- Web Resources
- Google Cultural Institute
- SI Usage Statement
-
Usage Conditions Apply
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
-
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
Usage Conditions Apply
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
To Download
Chrome users: right click on icon, select "save link as..."
Internet Explorer users: right click on icon, select "save target as..."
Mozilla Firefox users: right click on icon, select "save link as..."
International Image Interoperability Framework
FS-7370_45