Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); recto: Nushirwan’s dream; reverse: text from another part of the manuscript unrelated to the recto: Sohrab seized Rustam's belt and dragged him from the saddle

Object Details

• Description

  Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black nasta'liq script; recto: illustration and text, Nushirvan’s dream; reverse: text from another part of the manuscript unrelated to the recto, Sohrab seized Rustam's belt and dragged him from the saddle; four columns; twenty-five lines; one of a group of five folios.

  Border: The text and the painting are set in gold, blue and black rulings on cream-colored paper.

• Provenance

  Octave Homberg? [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] The original folder sheet provenance note states “Collection Homberg (?)”, suggesting it may have belonged to Octave Homberg of Paris, France.

  [2] See the Agreement for the Purchase and Sale of the Henri Vever Collection of January 9, 1986, Collections Management Office.

  [3] See note 2.

  [4] See note 2.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Previous custodian or owner

  Henri Vever (1854-1942)

  Francois Mautin (1907-2003)

  Octave Homberg

• Origin

  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.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1400s

• Name

  Mautin, Francois Albert, Homberg, Octave, Vever, Henri

• Topic

  Art, Timurid period (1378 - 1506), Henri Vever collection, Dreaming, Arts of the Islamic World, Nushirvan, Shahnama, Epic literature

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Object Type

  Manuscripts