Mihr-u Mushtari (The Sun and Jupiter) by Shams al-Din Muhammad Assar Tabrizi (d. circa 1390)

Manuscript; Mihr u Mushtari by Shams al-Din Muhammad Assar Tabrizi; text: Persian in black nasta’liq script; headings in gold, white and blue; 186 folios with a sarlawh (folio 1 verso), 5 paintings (25recto, 48verso, 84recto, 112recto, 141recto); seals (fols. 1 and 186 rectos); one of a group of three: manuscripts (S 1986.62, S 1986.39) and folio (S 1986.164); standard page: 2 columns, 14 lines of text.
Binding: The manuscript is bound in olive leather over paper pasteboards, the exterior covers are decorated with gold block- stamped medallions and cornerpieces. The envelope flap has a border identical to that on the upper and lower covers, and the tip of the envelope flap contains a horizontal medallion outlined in gold.

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Maker(s)
Calligrapher: Mir Ali Haravi (died ca. 1550)
Historical period(s)
Safavid period, ca.1520-1530
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 25 x 15.5 cm (9 13/16 x 6 1/8 in)
Geography
Historic Iran, present-day Afghanistan, probably Herat
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S1986.39
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Manuscript

Keywords
Henri Vever collection, Iran, Mihr, Mushtari, nasta'liq script, Safavid period (1501 - 1722)
Provenance

?- ?
Octave Marie Joseph Kérim Homberg Sr. (1844-1907), method of acquisition unknown [1]

By 1903-1942
Henri Vever (1854-1942), likely acquired directly from Homberg Sr.[2]

1942-1947
Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947), bequest of Henri Vever [3]

1947-1986
Francois Mautin (1907-2003), bequest of Jeanne Louise Monthiers and Henri Vever [4]

From 1986
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery purchased from Francois Mautin [5]

Notes:

[1] Vever's notation on folio 1a reads "ancienne collection Homberg père," suggesting that he likely acquired directly from Octave Marie Joseph Kérim Homberg Sr. Octave Homberg Senior was a Censor of the Bank of France before becoming the Director of the Société Générale, one of the oldest banks in France. He amassed a diverse collection of fine arts.

[2] 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.

It is unclear when Vever acquired this manuscript, but it was in his collection by 1903 when it was exhibited. See M. Gaston Migeon, M. Max van Berchem and M. Huart, "Exposition des Arts Musulmans, Catalogue Descriptif" [exhibition catalogue] (Paris : Société française d'Imprimerie et de Librairie, Avril 1903), no. 817. The manuscript was in Vever's collection at the time of his death.

[3] Upon Henri Vever's death on September 25, 1942, his wife, Jeanne Louise Monthiers inherited the object. See exhibits F and G of Agreement of Purchase and Sale of the Henri Vever Collection, January 9, 1986, copy in object file.

[4] 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 object is part of that collection. See exhibits F and G as cited in note 3.

[5] The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery purchased the collection from Francois Mautin on January 9, 1986. See purchase agreement, copy in object file.

Research completed June 26, 2022.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Octave Marie Joseph Kérim Homberg Sr. 1844-1907
Henri Vever 1854-1942
Jeanne Louise Monthiers 1861-1947
Francois Mautin 1907-2003

Description

Manuscript; Mihr u Mushtari by Shams al-Din Muhammad Assar Tabrizi; text: Persian in black nasta'liq script; headings in gold, white and blue; 186 folios with a sarlawh (folio 1 verso), 5 paintings (25recto, 48verso, 84recto, 112recto, 141recto); seals (fols. 1 and 186 rectos); one of a group of three: manuscripts (S 1986.62, S 1986.39) and folio (S 1986.164); standard page: 2 columns, 14 lines of text.
Binding: The manuscript is bound in olive leather over paper pasteboards, the exterior covers are decorated with gold block- stamped medallions and cornerpieces. The envelope flap has a border identical to that on the upper and lower covers, and the tip of the envelope flap contains a horizontal medallion outlined in gold.

Inscription(s)

Seals: fol.186recto (oval, in kufic) [illegible]

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. 56, pp. 44-45.
  • Laurence Binyon, J.V.S. Wilkinson, Basil Gray. Persian Miniature Painting: A Descriptive Catalogue of the Miniatures Exhibited at Burlington House, January-March 1931. Exh. cat. Oxford, January - March 1931. cat. 128, p. 129.
  • Fereshteh Daftari. The Influence of "Persian Art" on Gauguin, Matisse, and Kandinsky. Ann Arbor. p. 175.
  • Catalogue of the International Exhibition of Persian Art. Exh. cat. London. cat. 544c, p. 262.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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