Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); Ardashir with his wife throwing down the cup of poison

Object Details

• Description

  Detached folio from a dispersed copy of Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskh script, heading in gold naskh outlined in black; recto: Ardashir with his wife, who throws down the cup of poison, six columns, 13 lines; verso: unrelated text, six columns, 31 lines; both the recto and verso contain unrelated text from the story of Siyavush. one of a group of 16 folios (F1923.5, F1930.78, F1930.79, F1935.23, F1935.24, F1938.3, F1942.2, S1986.100, S1986.101, S1986.102, S1986.103, S1986.104, S1986.105.1, S1986.105.2, S1986.106, S1986.107).

• Provenance

  To 1913

  Georges Demotte (1877-1923), Paris, France. [1]

  From 1913 to 1942

  Henri Vever (1854-1942), Paris and Noyers, France, purchased from Georges Demotte, Paris, France on December 12, 1913. [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 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. 235. See also 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.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

  A Jeweler's Eye: Islamic Arts of the Book from the Vever Collection (November 20, 1988 to April 30, 1989)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Henri Vever (1854-1942)

  Georges Demotte (1877-1923)

  Francois Mautin (1907-2003)

• Origin

  Tabriz, Iran

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler

• Type

  Manuscript

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1300s

• Name

  Mautin, Francois Albert, Demotte, Georges, Vever, Henri, Ardashir I, King of Iran, d. 241

• Place

  Tabriz

• Topic

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

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Language

  Naskh script

• Object Type

  Manuscripts