Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) by Nizami (d.1209); recto: Bahram Gur and the princess in the red pavilion; verso: text

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At A Glance

  • Period

    circa 1560
  • Geography

    Astarabad, Iran
  • Material

    Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper
  • Dimension

    H x W: 29.5 x 17 cm (11 5/8 x 6 11/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    S1986.283
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_S1986.283

Object Details

  • Description

    Detached folio from a dispersed copy of Haft paykar from a Khamsa (Quintet) by Nizami; text: Persian in black nasta'liq script; recto: illustration and text: Bahram Gur and the princess in the red pavilion; verso: text, four columns, twenty-four lines; one of a group of two folios.
    Border: The text and the painting are set in gold and black rulings on cream-colored paper.
  • Provenance

    From at least 1913
    Claude Anet (1868-1931), Paris, from at least 1913 [1]
    To 1942
    Henri Vever (1854-1942), Paris and Noyers, France, to 1942 [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] The object is documented as having appeared in the collection of Claude Anet by at least January 18, 1913. 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. 408.
    [2] See Glenn D. Lowry et al., An Annotated and Illustrated Checklist of the Vever Collection (Washington, DC: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1988), p. 226, no. 255.
    [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
  • Exhibition History

    L'Age d'or des sciences arabes (October 25, 2005 to March 19, 2006)
  • Previous custodian or owner

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

    Astarabad, 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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