Two lovers and a bearded man

Detail of a pattern
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At A Glance

  • Period

    ca. 1610-1615
  • Geography

    Isfahan, Iran
  • Material

    Ink and color wash on paper
  • Dimension

    H x W (image): 10.5 x 15.8 cm (4 1/8 x 6 1/4 in)
  • Accession Number

    S1986.311
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_S1986.311

Object Details

  • Artist

    Riza Abbasi (ca. 1565-1635)
  • Description

    Album leaf; Two lovers and a bearded man; tinted drawing.
    Border: The drawing occupies the full width of the page.
  • Label

    This drawing is presumably a preparatory sketch for a painting now in the Seattle Art Museum, Washington, by the celebrated painter Riza Abbasi. The finished composition includes the image of the couple, while the elderly man has been replaced by a young cupbearer.
  • Provenance

    From at least 1934
    Albert Besnard, from at least 1934 [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] 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. 409.
    [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. 319, no. 371.
    [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

    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

    Albert Besnard
    Henri Vever (1854-1942)
    Francois Mautin (1907-2003)
  • Origin

    Isfahan, Iran
  • Credit Line

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

    Album
  • 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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