Folio from an 'Aja'ib al-makhluqat wa gharaib al-mawjudat (Wonders of creation and oddities of existence) by al-Qazvini (died 1283); recto: Illustration: A haloed figure enthroned; verso: text

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At A Glance

  • Period

    ca.1590-1600
  • Geography

    probably Qazvin, Iran
  • Material

    Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper
  • Dimension

    H x W: 14.6 x 12.6 cm (5 3/4 x 4 15/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    S1986.161
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_S1986.161

Object Details

  • Description

    Detached folio from a dispersed copy of an 'Aja'ib al-makhluqat wa- ghara'ib al-mawjudat (Wonders of creation and oddities of existence) by al-Qazvini; text: Persian in black and red nasta'liq script; recto: illustration: A haloed figure enthroned; verso: text, fifteen lines; one of a group of 2 folios.
    Border: The painting and the text are set in gold and black rulings.
  • Provenance

    To 1913
    Claude Anet (1868-1931), Paris, France. [1]
    From 1913 to 1942
    Henri Vever (1854-1942), Paris and Noyers, France, purchased from Claude Anet, Paris, France on January 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] Claude Anet was the pseudonym of writer Jean Schopfer. 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. 404. See also 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. 233.
    [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
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Henri Vever (1854-1942)
    Claude Anet (1868-1931)
    Francois Mautin (1907-2003)
  • Origin

    probably Qazvin, 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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