Folio from a dispersed copy of Khamsa (Quintet) by Nizami (d. 1209); recto: illuminated table of contents; verso: A prince seated in a landscape with attendants, right-hand half of a double-page frontispiece

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At A Glance

  • Period

    ca.1600
  • Geography

    Isfahan, Iran
  • Material

    Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
  • Dimension

    H x W: 29.7 x 19.4 cm (11 11/16 x 7 5/8 in)
  • Accession Number

    S1986.191.1
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_S1986.191.1

Object Details

  • Description

    Detached folio from a dispersed copy of Khamsa (Quintet) by Nizami; text: Persian and Turkish in black nasta'liq script; recto: table of contents with titles of: Khusraw va Shirin, Makhzan al-asrar, Haft paykar, Iskandarnama, Layla va Majnun; verso: right-hand half of a double-page frontispiece, facing folio (S1986.191.2), A prince seated in a landscape with attendants; one of a group of two folios.
    Border: recto: The table of contents is set in red, gold and green rulings on cream-colored paper; verso: the painting is set in red and gold inner frame and an illuminated outer frame.
  • Inscriptions

    Recto: above the page: "with the grace of God the merciful, [?] the poor Nusrat."
  • Provenance

    To at least 1922
    Moussa, Tehran, Iran. [1]
    1922
    Sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, Objets d'art Anciens de la Perse, May 5-6, 1922, no. 130. [2]
    To 1942
    Henri Vever (1854-1942), Paris and Noyers, France. [3]
    From 1942 to 1986
    Family member, Paris and Boulogne, France, by inheritance from Henri Vever, Paris and Noyers, France. [4]
    From 1986
    Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, purchased from a family member, Paris and Boulogne, France. [5]
    Notes:
    [1] The object was in the collection of Moussa (M.J.M) until 1922 when it was published in the auction catalogue, Objets d'art anciens de la Perse, May 5-6, 1922. 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. 405.
    [2] See note 1.
    [3] See note 1.
    [4] See the Agreement for the Purchase and Sale of the Henri Vever Collection of January 9, 1986, Collections Management Office.
    [5] See note 4.
  • Collection

    Arthur M. Sackler Collection
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Henri Vever (1854-1942)
    Hotel Drouot
    Moussa
    Francois Mautin (1907-2003)
  • Origin

    Isfahan, 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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