Cover of a bookbinding

Object Details

• Label

  Album pages were either bound or kept loose in elaborately produced bindings. This finely painted and lacquered cover depicts a princely equestrian figure with a hawk, a ruler's boon companion. The art of hunting, regarded as the royal past-time par excellence, also served as a literary and visual metaphor for personal strength, skill, and courage. It became one of the most popular themes in Persian painting and was adapted to a variety of different media and surfaces.

• Provenance

  ?-1932

  M. Hatchik Sevadjian (b.1884), method of acquisition unknown [1]

  1932

  Sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot "Collection de M. H. Sevadjian: Objets d'Art de haute Antiquité et de Curiosité" April 13-14, 1932, lot 79 [2]

  ?-1942

  Henri Vever (1854-1942), method of acquisition unknown [2]

  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] According to an inventory prepared in 1986, reportedly based on an appraisal prepared by M. A. Densmore, this binding was featured in the 1932 Hôtel Drouot's sale of the Sevadjian collection. See note 2. Born into an Armenian family in Istanbul, Hatchik Sevadjian relocated to Paris in 1902. He became a diamond dealer, opening a shop along the rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, and a connoisseur collector, building a large collection of Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Indian, and Islamic antiquities.

  [2] See note 1. Hôtel Drouot "Collection de M. H. Sevadjian: Objets d'Art de haute Antiquité et de Curiosité" [auction catalogue] (Paris, April 13-14, 1932), lot 79, p. 22, plate XIII.

  [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 in Vever's collection at the time of his death in 1942.

  [4] Upon Henri Vever's death on September 25, 1942, his wife, Jeanne Louise Monthiers inherited the work. 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 work is part of that collection. See exhibits F and G as cited in note 4.

  [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 completed May 4, 2022.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

  Visual Poetry: Paintings and Drawings from Iran (December 16, 2001 to May 5, 2004)

  A Jeweler's Eye: Islamic Arts of the Book from the Vever Collection (November 20, 1988 to April 30, 1989)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Francois Mautin (1907-2003)

  Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947)

  Henri Vever (1854-1942)

  Hatchik Sevadjian (born 1884)

• Origin

  Probably Isfahan, Iran

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler

• Type

  Book

• 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

  1700s, 1600s

• Name

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

• Place

  Isfahan

• Topic

  Prince, Art, Hunting, Animals, Henri Vever collection, Gazelle, Lacquer, Horses, Arts of the Islamic World, Falconry, Hawk

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Object Type

  Books