Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); recto: Iskandar comforts the dying Darab; verso: text: Darab’s testament to Iskandar

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black nasta’liq script, heading in white outlined in black; recto: illustration and text, Iskandar comforts the dying Darab; verso: text, Darab’s testament to Iskandar, four columns, twenty-five lines; one of a group of twenty-five folios; inscription on banner.
Border: The text and the painting are set in gold, red and blue rulings on paper with landscape and animal motifs.

View right to left

Historical period(s)
Safavid period, ca. 1590-1600
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 32.4 x 21 cm (12 3/4 x 8 1/4 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S1986.266
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Detached manuscript folio

Keywords
Alexander, Dara, death, Henri Vever collection, Iran, king, Safavid period (1501 - 1722), Shahnama
Provenance

To 1910
Reza Khan Monif, Paris, France. [1]

From 1910 to 1942
Henri Vever (1854-1942), Paris and Noyers, France, purchased from Reza Khan Monif, Paris, France on October 14, 1910. [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. 407. See also Glen D. Lowry and Susan Nemazee, "Appendix 2: Ledger of Acquisitions, 1894 and 1907-17" in A Jeweler’s Eye: Islamic Arts of the Book from the Vever Collection (Washington, DC: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1988), p. 230.

[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)

Reiza Khan Monif
Henri Vever 1854-1942
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, heading in white outlined in black; recto: illustration and text, Iskandar comforts the dying Darab; verso: text, Darab's testament to Iskandar, four columns, twenty-five lines; one of a group of twenty-five folios; inscription on banner.
Border: The text and the painting are set in gold, red and blue rulings on paper with landscape and animal motifs.

Inscription(s)

Recto: on the banner, "Help from God and present victory; [From Sura al-Saf (the Ranks):13]."

Published References
  • Romance and Reason: Islamic Transformations of the Classical Past. Exh. cat. New York. p. 34, fig. 2-6.
  • 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. 143, p. 119.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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