Nadir Shah of Iran

Object Details

• Court

  Mughal Court

• School/Tradition

  Mughal school

• Description

  Detached album folio; Nadir Shah of Iran; single-page portrait; Persian in black nasta'liq script, inscription on the top reads: likeness of [the] auspicious Highness Nadirshah Padishah the [?]; on the side: was drawn during the auspicious visit of Shah Jahan [?].

  Border: The painting is set in gold and black rulings in a blue foliate scroll, surrounded by a red and gold outer frame mounted on a cream-colored paperboard with floral motifs.

• Marks

  Mounting board: Nadir Schah, written in pencil

  Old matting: Vever 325, written in pencil

  Old matting: white rectangular sticker with blue boarder, 325 written in blue pencil

  Old matting: Nader Shah, written in pencil

  Old matting: Est. Dem. prrx, written in pencil

  Old matting: white rectangular sticker with 754 printed in black

  Old matting: Vever 70 (underlined), written in blue pencil

  Old matting: Vever 70 (underlined), written in blue pencil

• Inscriptions

  On the top, "likeness of [the] auspicious Highness Nadirshah Padishah the [?]."

  On the side: “was drawn during the auspicious visit of Shah Jahan [?]."

  On the side: “was drawn during the auspicious visit of Shah Jahan [?]."

• Label

  During a period of political and artistic decline following the reign of Aurangzeb (1658-1707), the Mughal empire became subject to invasion. The Iranian ruler Nadir shah (reigned 1736-47) sacked Delhi in 1739. Among the many treasures that Nadir shah brought back to Iran were a great early Mughal manuscript, the Hamzanama (Story of Amir Hamza), the Peacock Throne of Shahjahan, and the Koh-i Nur diamond.

  This portrait, identified in the inscription as Nadir shah, is probably based on an eighteenth-century drawing. The distinctive headdress is likely to have been Nadir shah's choice as a dynastic emblem.

• Provenance

  ?-?

  Possibly Georges Demotte (1877-1923), method of acquisition unknown [1]

  ?-1942

  Henri Vever (1854-1942), method of acquisition unknown [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

  National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, purchased from Francois Mautin [5]

  Notes:

  [1] See annotation “Est. Dem” on the old matting, which suggests the work was estimated and possibly sold by Georges Demotte to Vever. 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 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. This work is part of the Museum’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection.

  Research updated April 18, 2024.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

  Arts of Mughal India (1992) (May 24 to December 6, 1992)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Georges Demotte (1877-1923)

  Henri Vever (1854-1942)

  Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947)

  Francois Mautin (1907-2003)

• Origin

  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

  1910s, 1890s

• Name

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

• Place

  India

• Topic

  South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Henri Vever collection, Kings, queens, rulers, etc., Mughal dynasty (1526 - 1858), Portraits

• Culture

  Iranians, Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings