Four portraits from the St. Petersburg Album

Object Details

• Calligrapher

  Imad al-Hasani (died 1615)

• Borders

  Muhammad Sadiq

• Court

  Mughal Court

• School/Tradition

  Mughal school

• Description

  Detached album leaf; text: Persian in black nasta'liq script; obverse: calligraphic panel, couplets of poem, signed by Imad al-Hasani; reverse: Four portraits: Awrangzeb (above right), Shah Jahan (above left), unidentified nobleman (below right) and Dara Shikoh (below left).

  Border: The calligraphy panel is set in gold rulings surrounded by an inner frame of pink floral scroll mounted on black-colored paperboard; the painting is set in a blue and gold floral scroll, surrounded by a red floral scroll on a border of naturalistic floral sprays, birds, and insects, mounted on a cream-colored paperboard.

• Inscriptions

  The calligraphy panel, "Poor Imad al-Hasani, may God forgive him."

  The calligraphy panel, "Poor Imad al-Hasani, may God forgive him."

• Provenance

  From at least 1911

  Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962), Paris, from at least 1911 [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 Kevorkian by at least November 7, 1911. 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. 411.

  [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), pp. 294-295, no. 345.

  [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

  Arts of Mughal India (2004) (August 21, 2004 to February 6, 2005)

  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

  Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962)

  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

  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.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1650s, 1660s

• Name

  Mautin, Francois Albert, Kevorkian, Hagop, Vever, Henri

• Place

  India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Animals, Henri Vever collection, Mughal dynasty (1526 - 1858), Portraits, Birds, Flowers

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Albums