Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (died 1020); The bier of Iskandar

Object Details

• Label

  The Shahnama (Book of kings), the national epic of Iran, recounts the adventures of many legendary kings and heroes from the mythical creation of the world to the fall of the historical Sasanian dynasty in 651. Among the most memorable characters is the Macedonian conqueror, Alexander the Great, known in Persian as Iskandar. Firdawsi explains that Iskandar was the son of Darab (Darius II), who had married a Greek princess, and justifies his invasion of Iran, which the historic Alexander undertook in the year 330 B.C.E., as an attempt to claim his right to the Persian throne.

  This remarkable painting is from one of the earliest and most celebrated illustrated volumes of the Shahnama and depicts Alexander's bejeweled coffin in an elaborate interior setting. While Aristotle weeps quietly into a handkerchief, Alexander's mother flings herself onto the bier. Her pose, as well as those of the veiled mourners in the foreground, poignantly expresses the drama and pathos of the scene.

• Provenance

  ?-1914

  Georges Demotte, Paris, France, method of acquisition unknown [1]

  ?-?

  Likely Dikran Kelekian, New York, method of acquisition unknown [2]

  ?-1930

  V. Everit Macy (1871-1930), likely purchased from Dikran Kelekian, New York [3]

  1930-1938 

  Estate of the Late V. Everit Macy [4] 

  1938 

  Sale, New York, American Art Association Anderson Galleries, Inc., “The V. Everit Macy Collection: Including Rare and Important Persian and Mesopotamian Pottery, Persian and Indian Miniatures, Persian Brocades and Velvet Carpets,” January 6-8, 1938, lot 432, described as “The Bier of Iskander (Alexander)” [5] 

  1938 

  Kirkor Minassian, New York, purchased at January 6-8, 1938, American Art Association Anderson Galleries Inc. Sale, New York, NY [6] 

  From 1938

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Kirkor Minassian, New York [7]

  Notes:

  [1] See Doris Brian, “A Reconstruction of the Miniature Cycle in the Demotte “Shah Namah,”” “Ars Islamica” vol. 6, pt. 2 (1939): pp. 97 and 111. Brian includes this folio in the manuscript, and says of its history, “The dispersion during the second decade of this century of the manuscript known as the Demotte “Shah Namah,” for the dealer who first disassembled it and sold the individual pages”.

  Georges Demotte (1877-1923) was a collector and dealer of Islamic and medieval European art. He had galleries in Paris and New York City. Demotte is known for having owned the intact manuscript of the Shahnama (Book of Kings), but in the early twentieth century he dismantled the manuscript, splitting some of the folios which had illustrations on both sides so that he could sell the two leaves separately. This folio is one of 16 detached folios in the collections of the National Museum of Asian Art (F1923.5; F1930.78; F1930.79; F1935.23; F1935.24; F1942.2; S1986.100; S1986.101; S1986.102a-d; S1986.103; S1986.104; S1986.105.1; S1986.105.2; S1986.106; S1986.107.)

  [2] See note 2. Dikran G. Kelekian (1868-1951) was born in Kayseri, Turkey. After studying ancient Near Eastern history in Constantinople (now Istanbul), he moved to Paris and opened an art and antiquarian business in 1891. The following year he opened another business in Constantinople (modern Istanbul) with his brother, Kevork Kelekian, and in 1893 he moved to the United States and opened Le Musée du Bosphore, an art gallery on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Kelekian also operated galleries in London and Cairo, and his international clientele included numerous important museums and collectors. Following his death, his son Charles Dikran Kelekian (1900-1982) assumed management of the New York business.

  [3] See American Art Association Anderson Galleries, Inc., “The V. Everit Macy Collection: Including Rare and Important Persian and Mesopotamian Pottery, Persian and Indian Miniatures, Persian Brocades and Velvet Carpets,” January 6-8, 1938, lot 432. The miniature is described as “The Bier of Iskander (Alexander)”, with an additional note: “From Dikran Kelekian.” Valentine Everit Macy was an industrialist, philanthropist, and public commissioner. He was a Trustee and a benefactor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and a collector of Near Eastern Art

  [4] See note 2. The cover page for this posthumous auction states, “Property of the Estate of the Late V. Everit Macy. Sold by Order of the Executors.”

  [5] See note 2.

  [6] See note 6. See also object file for copy of letter from Kirkor Minassian to J.E. Lodge, dated January 6, 1938. Minassian wrote, “I understand that you would like to have four items from the Macy’s sale”, and he includes lot 432 “The bier of Iskandar” as one of the four potential purchases. Kirkor Minassian (1874-1944) was a collector and dealer in Islamic and Near Eastern antiquities, with galleries in New York and Paris. Kirkor Minassian (1874-1944) was a collector and dealer in Islamic and Near Eastern antiquities, with galleries in New York and Paris. In 1929, Minassian gave the Library of Congress objects including a Kufic script from an eighth century Koran as well as a number of Sumerian clay tablets. Following his death, his wife Antoinette (1874-1961) and his daughter Adrienne (1913-1994), succeeded him in his business.

  [7] See object file for copy of Kirkor Minassian invoice to the Freer Gallery of Art, dated January 17, 1938, and approved by the Secretary of the Smithsonian on January 18, 1938. The object is item no. 1, described as a “Persian miniature: The bier of Alexander.”

  Research updated September 28, 2023

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  An Epic of Kings: The Great Mongol Shahnama (September 21, 2024 to January 12, 2025)

  Engaging the Senses (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  The Shahnama: 1000 Years of the Persian Book of Kings (October 23, 2010 to April 17, 2011)

  Arts of the Islamic World (May 3, 1998 to January 3, 2016)

  Islamic Art (May 9, 1993 to June 3, 1997)

  Islamic Metalwork in the Freer Gallery of Art (September 27, 1985 to November 17, 1986)

  From the Hand of Mani (January 18, 1985 to July 5, 1985)

  Art of the Near East (August 21, 1977 to December 14, 1979)

  Near Eastern Art (June 15, 1973 to May 7, 1975)

  2500 Years of Persian Art—Paintings, Metalwork (February 10, 1972 to June 15, 1973)

  Near Eastern Art—Paintings, Metalwork (August 18, 1967 to February 10, 1972)

  Special Exhibition Afghanistan (September 3, 1963 to June 5, 1964)

  Near Eastern Art (January 1, 1963 to August 18, 1967)

  Persian Art (January 1, 1963 to September 3, 1963)

  Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 6 and 7 (February 25, 1956 to April 10, 1962)

  Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Manuscripts, 1955 (April 12, 1955 to December 16, 1955)

  Special Exhibition (February 9, 1954 to April 20, 1954)

  Untitled Exhibition, Islamic Manuscripts, 1947 (October 6, 1947 to February 25, 1956)

  Untitled Exhibition, Persian Manuscripts (May 5, 1933 to September 22, 1947)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Georges Demotte (1877-1923)

  V. Everit Macy (1871-1930)

  Estate of V. Everit Macy

  Kirkor Minassian (1874-1944)

• Origin

  Tabriz, Iran

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Manuscript

• Restrictions and Rights

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1300s

• Name

  Alexander, Estate of V. Everit Macy, Minassian, Kirkor, Demotte, Georges, Macy, V. Everit

• Place

  Tabriz

• Topic

  Art, Arts of the Islamic World, Mongol period (1220 - 1380), Il-Khanid dynasty (1256 - 1353), Shahnama

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Language

  Naskh script

• Object Type

  Manuscripts