Humayun Seated in a Landscape, from the Late Shah Jahan Album

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At A Glance

  • Period

    ca. 1650
  • Geography

    India
  • Material

    Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper mounted on paperboard
  • Dimension

    H x W (overall): 25.4 x 37 cm (10 x 14 9/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    S1986.400
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_S1986.400

Object Details

  • Artist

    Payag (active ca.1591-ca.1658)
  • Court

    Mughal Court
  • School/Tradition

    Mughal school
  • Provenance

    ?-1910
    Georges Demotte (1877-1923), method of acquisition unknown [1]
    1910-1942
    Henri Vever (1854-1942), purchased from Georges Demote [2]
    1942-1947
    Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947), bequest of Henri Vever [3]
    1947-1986
    Francois Mautin (1907-2003), bequest of Jeanne Louise Monthiers and Henri Vever [4]
    From 1986
    Arthur M. Sackler Gallery purchased from Francois Mautin [5]
    Notes:
    [1] This work is likely one of a group of seven miniatures that Henri Vever purchased from Demotte in January 1910. Vever describes the group as "7 miniatures indo-persanes." See Henri Vever Account Ledger, January 1910, FSA A1988.042.2, from Henri Vever Papers. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Georges Demotte was a collector and dealer of Islamic and medieval European art. He had galleries in Paris and New York City.
    [2] 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 object was in Vever's collection at the time of his death in 1942.
    [3] 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.
    [4] 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.
    [5] 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 updated on March 28, 2023.
  • Collection

    Arthur M. Sackler Collection
  • Exhibition History

    Worlds within Worlds: Imperial Paintings from India and Iran (July 28 to September 16, 2012)
    Masters of Indian Painting (April 28, 2011 to January 8, 2012)
    Arts of Mughal India (2004) (August 21, 2004 to February 6, 2005)
    Imperial Portraits from the Mughal Courts from the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution (June 30 to September 22, 2002)
    The Vision of Kings: Art and Experience in India (November 25, 1995 to April 28, 1996)
    A Mughal Hunt (March 13 to September 11, 1994)
    Arts of Mughal India (1992) (May 24 to December 6, 1992)
    A Jeweler's Eye: Islamic Arts of the Book from the Vever Collection (November 20, 1988 to April 30, 1989)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Georges Demotte (1877-1923)
    Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947)
    Henri Vever (1854-1942)
    Francois Mautin (1907-2003)
  • Origin

    India
  • 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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