Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d. 1020); recto: Kay Khusraw and Kay Kavus; verso: text: Afrasiyab captivated by Houm

Object Details

• Calligrapher

  Salik b. Sa'id

• Patron

  Sultan-Ali Mirza (1478-1504)

• 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, Kay Khusraw and Kay Kavus; verso: text, Afrasiyab captivated by Houm; four columns, twenty-three lines of text, one of a group of seven folios.

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

• Inscriptions

  old matting, exterior backing: Vever 154, written in pencil

  old matting, exterior backing: 2 / 7 Vever, written in black ink

  old matting, exterior backing: Ecole Timouride (underlined) page d'un Shah Nameh écrit pour Sultan Mirza Ali of Gilan, vers 1490 selon F. R. Martin (comparer avec la planche 65 Martin), written in black ink

  old matting, interior front matting: Vever 154, written in pencil

  verso: 2, underlined, written in pencil

  verso: ax rs hs, written in pencil

• Provenance

  Ca. 1490

  Manuscript created for Sultan Ali Mirza of Gilan (part of modern Iran) (reign, 1478-1505) [1]

  ?-?

  Monastery of the Dancing Dervishes, Galata, Istanbul [2]

  Before 1929

  Unidentified foreign diplomat, method of acquisition unknown [3]

  By 1929-1942

  Henri Vever (1854-1942), purchased from Tony and Mathilde Smet or Mathilde Smet after death of her husband [3]

  1942-1947

  Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947), bequest of Henri Vever [4]

  1947-1986

  Francois Mautin (1907-2003), bequest of Jeanne Louise Monthiers and Henri Vever [5]

  From 1986

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery purchased from Francois Mautin [6]

  Notes:

  [1] This folio is from a copy of the Shahnama often referred to as the "Big Head" Shahnama, which is divided into two volumes. The first volume is in the collection of the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul (ms. 1978) and the second volume is part of the Istanbul University Library (ms. F. 1406). Several folios have been removed and dispersed from the manuscript around 1900; however, the exact number is not known. Most of the dispersed folios, including this work, seems to originate from the first volume.

  [2] See Armenag Sakisian, "La miniature persane du XIIe au XVIIe siècle" [book] (Paris : G. Van Oest, 1929), 35-36.

  [3] An accomplished French jeweler and collector, Henri Vever (1854-1942) amassed a large and impressive collection of works of art during his lifetime. His holdings in Japanese prints and Islamic arts of the books, especially from Iran and India, were among the most important assembled in the early twentieth century. This work was part of Vever's collection by 1929. See Sakisian, 35. It remained in Vever's collection at the time of his death.

  [4] Upon Henri Vever's death on September 25, 1942, his wife, Jeanne Louise Monthiers inherited the object. See exhibits F and G of Agreement of Purchase and Sale of the Henri Vever Collection, January 9, 1986, copy in object file.

  [5] Upon the death of Jeanne Louise Monthiers, as stipulated in the will of Henri Vever, the family's assets were divided evenly between his two grandchildren. His only grandson, Francois Mautin inherited the collection known as "The Henri Vever Collection of Oriental Art and Manuscripts Including Persian and Indian Art and Manuscripts." This object is part of that collection. See exhibits F and G as cited in note 3.

  [6] The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery purchased the entirety of the collection from Francois Mautin on January 9, 1986. See purchase agreement, copy in object file.

  Research updated June 5, 2023.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

  The Art of Painting a Story: Narrative Images from Iran (December 22, 1991 to May 10, 1992)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Francois Mautin (1907-2003)

  Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947)

  Henri Vever (1854-1942)

• Origin

  Gilan, 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

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1400s

• Name

  Mautin, Francois Albert, Monthiers, Jeanne Louise, Vever, Henri

• Place

  Gilan

• Topic

  Art, Aq Qoyunlu dynasty (1378 - 1501), Kay Khusraw, Henri Vever collection, Arts of the Islamic World, Kay Kavus, Shahnama

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Object Type

  Manuscripts