Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); recto: text, Mirin asked in marriage Caesar's second daughter; verso: verso: unidentified painting from another part of manuscript mounted on a folio with text: Gushtasp fighting a dragon

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At A Glance

  • Period

    February 1341 (Ramadan 741 A.H.)
  • Geography

    Shiraz, Iran
  • Material

    Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
  • Dimension

    H x W: 36.4 x 30 cm (14 5/16 x 11 13/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    S1986.116
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_S1986.116

Object Details

  • Calligrapher

    Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Husayni (known as) Mawsili
  • Patron

    Qiwam al-Dawla wa'l-Din
  • Description

    Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskh script; recto: text, Mirin asked in marriage Caesar's second daughter; verso: text: Gushtasp fighting a dragon and an unidentified painting from another part of the manuscript; six columns; twenty lines; one of a group of twelve folios. Patron: Qiwam al-Dawla wa'l-Din.
    Border: The text is set in red and black rulings on cream-colored paper; the unidentified painting from another part of the manuscript is mounted on the text.
  • Provenance

    Charles Vignier (1863-1934), Paris, France. [1]
    To 1942
    Henri Vever (1854-1942), Paris and Noyers, France. [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. 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

    Paintings from Shiraz (December 24, 1994 to August 27, 1995)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Henri Vever (1854-1942)
    Charles Vignier (1863-1934)
    Francois Mautin (1907-2003)
  • Origin

    Shiraz, Iran
  • Credit Line

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

    Manuscript
  • Restrictions and Rights

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