Nawab Amir al-Umara Zabita Khan

Object Details

• Artist

  Son of Ganga Ram Mihr Chand

• Court

  Mughal Court

• School/Tradition

  Mughal school

• Description

  Detached album folio: Nawab Amir al-Umara Zabita Khan; single-page portrait; Persian in black nasta'liq script; inscribed to Mihr Chand; inscription on the margin consists of the name of the patron and the artist.

  Border: The text is set in gold and black rulings in an inner frame of brown floral and leaf scroll, surrounded by a frame of dark blue, floral motifs and an outer frame of brown floral and leaf scroll mounted on a white-colored paperboard.

• Marks

  Verso of matting: Est. D. sa bpx, written in pencil

  Verso of matting: 3 circled, written in black ink

  Verso of matting: B3 written in black ink

  Verso of matting: Emil el Omera Zabité Khan Behadar

  Verso of matting: par Mehir Chard Larkhi Largunga Khan

  Verso of matting: H. Vever written in pencil

  Verso of matting: Rectangular sticker with blue border, 306 written in blue pencil

  Verso of matting: 1 circled, written in blue pencil

  Verso of matting: 1 circled, written in blue pencil

• Inscriptions

  Inner margin, amal-i Mihr Chand pesar-i Ganga Ram.

  "Work of Mihr Chand, son of Ganga Ram."

  Outer margin, Nawab Amir al-umara Zabiteh Khan Bahador.

  "Nawab, prince of princes, Zabiteh Khan Bahador."

  "Nawab, prince of princes, Zabiteh Khan Bahador."

• Provenance

  ?-1942

  Henri Vever (1851-1942), method of acquisition unknown [1]

  1942-1947

  Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947), bequest of Henri Vever [2]

  1947-1986

  Francois Mautin (1907-2003), bequest of Jeanne Louise Monthiers and Henri Vever [3]

  From 1986

  The National Museum of Asian Art, by purchased from Francois Mautin [4]

  Notes:

  [1] An accomplished French jeweler and collector, Henri Vever 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.

  [2] 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.

  [3] 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.

  [4] The Museum purchased the entirety of the collection from Francois Mautin on January 9, 1986. See purchase agreement, copy in object file. This work is part of the Museum’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection.

  Research updated on June 27, 2024

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

  Princes and Painters in Mughal Delhi, 1707-1857 (February 7 to May 6 , 2012)

  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)

  Henri Vever (1854-1942)

  Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947)

  Francois Mautin (1907-2003)

• Origin

  Lucknow or Faizabad?, Uttar Pradesh state, Avadh (Oudh), India

• Credit Line

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

• Type

  Painting

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1780s, 1760s

• Name

  Mautin, Francois Albert, Monthiers, Jeanne Louise, Demotte, Georges, Vever, Henri

• Place

  Lucknow, Faizabad, Avadh, Uttar Pradesh state, India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Henri Vever collection, Mughal dynasty (1526 - 1858), Hookah, Portraits, Nawab

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings