Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; recto: Battle between Zanga and Awkhast; verso: text: Battle of Gurgin and Andariman

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, Battle between Zanga and Awkhast; verso: text, Battle of Gorgin and Andariman, four columns, four lines; one of a group of seven folios.

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

• Provenance

  ?-1942

  Henri Vever (1851-1942), method of acquisition unknown [1]

  1942-1947

  Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947), bequest of Henri Vever [2]

  1947-1986

  Francois Mautin (1907-2003), bequest of Jeanne Louise Monthiers and Henri Vever [3]

  From 1986

  The National Museum of Asian Art, by purchased from Francois Mautin [4]

  Notes:

  [1] An accomplished French jeweler and collector, Henri Vever 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 object was in Vever's collection at the time of his death in 1942.

  [2] 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.

  [3] 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.

  [4] The Museum purchased the entirety of the collection from Francois Mautin on January 9, 1986. See purchase agreement, copy in object file. This work is part of the Museum’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection.

  Research updated on June 27, 2024

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

  The Shahnama: 1000 Years of the Persian Book of Kings (October 23, 2010 to April 17, 2011)

  In the Realm of Princes: The Arts of the Book in Fifteenth Century Iran and Central Asia (March 19 to August 7, 2005)

  The Heroic Past: The Persian Book of Kings (June 4 to October 29, 2000)

  Timur and the Princely Vision: Persian Art and Culture in the Fifteenth Century (April 16 to July 6, 1989)

  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)

  Francois Mautin (1907-2003)

• 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

  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, Vever, Henri

• Place

  Gilan

• Topic

  Wars, Art, Animals, Turkmen period (1378 - 1508), Aq Qoyunlu dynasty (1378 - 1501), Henri Vever collection, Horses, Arts of the Islamic World, Shahnama, Epic literature

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Object Type

  Manuscripts