A reading of the Qur'an at court

Object Details

• Description

  Detached album folio; A reading of Qur'an at court.

  Border: The drawing has occupied the full width of the page; it is surrounded by a small band of gold and black, mounted on paperboard.

• Marks

  Flyleaf: written in back ink, Gustave Dreyfus

  Old matting, backing exterior: written in black ink, N ͦ 41

  Old matting, backing exterior: white, oval sticker Wandenberg Frères Doreurs Miroitiers 10, Place Delaborde 1 & 3, rue de Vienne PARIS

  Old matting, backing exterior: white, octagonal sticker with blue border with N ͦ1. M ͬ Albert Besnard written in black ink

  Old matting, backing exterior: white, octagonal sticker with blue border with 433 written in black ink and illegible pencil markings

  Old matting, backing exterior: in pencil, Vever 318

  Old matting, backing exterior: in pencil, Vever 318

• Provenance

  ?-?

  Gustave Dreyfus (1837-1914), method of acquisition [1]

  ?-1934

  Albert Besnard (1849-1934), method of acquisition unknown [2]

  1934

  Sale, Paris, Galerie Charpentier, “Collection Albert Besnard: Sculptures et bibelots antiques, sculptures du Moyen Ȃge et des temps modernes, tableaux anciens, maquettes, arts du Proche et du Moyen-Orient, bronzes, laques, peintures, gravures," May 31 and June 1, 1934, lot 179 [3]

  Likely 1934 -1942

  Henri Vever (1854-1942), likely purchased at the Albert Besnard sale [4]

  1942-1947

  Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947), bequest of Henri Vever [5]

  1947-1986

  Francois Mautin (1907-2003), bequest of Jeanne Louise Monthiers and Henri Vever [6]

  From 1986

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery purchased from Francois Mautin [7]

  Notes:

  [1] See flyleaf accompanying the painting, on which is written “Gustave Dreyfus.” Gustave Dreyfus was an art collector born in Paris, who amassed a celebrated collection of Italian Renaissance works of art. His Parisian apartment at 101 boulevard Malesherbes was a frequent meeting place for fellow collectors and amateur historians. Both Dreyfus and Henri Vever served on the Commission du Musée du Louvre, the group governing the museum.

  In July 1930, after Dreyfus’ death in 1914 and his widow’s in 1929, the family heirs sold the remaining collection to the Duveen Brothers, a renowned firm of art dealers that had galleries in London, Paris, and New York.

  [2] Paul-Albert Besnard, known professionally as Albert Besnard was a French painter and print maker active in Paris during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Throughout his career, Besnard developed a collection of old master and modern paintings, sculpture, and works on paper. His collection included numerous Islamic manuscripts and Indian paintings. Besnard was part of a group of connoisseurs, which included Henri Vever (see note 3), that appreciated and studied Persian and Indian Paintings.

  [3] Galerie Charpentier, “Collection Albert Besnard: Sculptures et bibelots antiques, sculptures du Moyen Ȃge et des temps modernes, tableaux anciens, maquettes, arts du Proche et du Moyen-Orient, bronzes, laques, peintures, gravures," [auction catalogue](Paris, May 31 and June 1, 1934), lot 179. The work is decribed as "Portrait d’un prince hindou entouré de dignitaires de la Cour. Il est assis sur une terrasse, sous un péristyle."

  [4] 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. The annotation on the work’s matting reports that Vever acquired this work in 1934, likely at the Galerie Charpentier sale (see note 2). This object was in Vever's collection at the time of his death in 1942.

  [5] 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.

  [6] 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.

  [7] 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 June 21, 2023.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Previous custodian or owner

  Gustave Dreyfus (1837-1914)

  Albert Besnard

  Henri Vever (1854-1942)

  Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947)

  Francois Mautin (1907-2003)

• Origin

  Deccan plateau, 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

  1770s, 1750s

• Name

  Mautin, Francois Albert, Monthiers, Jeanne Louise, Dreyfus, Gustave, Besnard, Albert, Vever, Henri

• Place

  Deccan plateau, India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Reading, Art, Henri Vever collection, Qur'an, Court

• Culture

  Muslims, Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings