Book cover belonging to S1986.44.1, Silsilat al-dhahab (Chain of gold) by Jami (died 1492)

Object Details

• Description

  Book cover; original cover of the manuscript: S1986.44.1; lacquer-painted covers; one of a group of 2: the manuscript and the original cover are accessioned separately.

• Inscriptions

  Exterior spine of binding round sticker with "H 40" written in black ink

• Provenance

  ?-no later than 1907

  Reportedly Octave Homberg Senior (1844-1907) or Octave Homberg Junior (1876-1941), method of acquisition unknown [1]

  ?-1933

  Unidentified collector, likely purchased at Galerie Georges Petite Auction [2]

  1933

  Sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, "Objets d'art de curiosité et d'ameublement, européens et orientaux, antiques, moyen-âge, Renaissance, XVIIIe siècle ... Provenant de la Collection d'un Amateur" March 15 and 16, 1933, lot 40 [3]

  Probably 1933-1942

  Henri Vever (1854-1942), likely purchased at Hôtel Drouot 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 annotation on verso of manuscript's first folio. See also Susan Nemazee, "Appendix 7: Chart of Recent Provenance" in "An Annotated and Illustrated Checklist of the Vever Collection," [exhibition catalogue] Glenn D. Lowry et al (Washington, DC: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1988), p. 400.

  Octave Homberg Senior was a Censor of the Bank of France before becoming the Director of the Société Générale, one of the oldest banks in France. He amassed a diverse collection of fine arts, which included medieval European sculpture and Islamic manuscripts and decorative arts. His son, Octave Homberg Jr., was a French diplomat, banker, writer, and collector. As one of France's foremost financiers, Homberg Jr. served as the French financial agent in the United States and part of the Anglo-French Commission. In the early 1930s, Homberg fell into financial trouble and in 1931 sold the majority of his art collection, much of which he had inherited from his father. This work did not appear in that sale.

  [2] See note 3.

  [3] Hôtel Drouot, "Objets d'art de curiosité et d'ameublement, européens et orientaux, antiques, moyen-âge, Renaissance, XVIIIe siècle ... Provenant de la Collection d'un Amateur" [auction catalogue](Paris : March 15 and 16, 1933), lot 40.

  [4] An accomplished French jeweler and collector, Henri Vever amassed a large collection of fine art. His collections of Japanese prints and Islamic manuscripts were widely respected, as Vever acquired pieces of exceptional quality and rarity. Intensely studying the visual aspects of Islamic art, loaning to exhibitions, and publishing on Islamic art, Vever quickly became one of the leading experts on Islamic painting and manuscripts. It is possible that Vever purchased this manuscript at the Hôtel Drouot auction referenced in note 3. This work 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 work. 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 5.

  [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 completed on June 26, 2022.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

  A Jeweler's Eye: Islamic Arts of the Book from the Vever Collection (November 20, 1988 to April 30, 1989)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Octave Marie Joseph Kérim Homberg Sr. (1844-1907)

  Octave Homberg

  Henri Vever (1854-1942)

  Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947)

  Francois Mautin (1907-2003)

• Origin

  Tabriz?, Iran

• Credit Line

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

• Type

  Book

• 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

  1700s, 1710s, 1720s, 1500s, 1610s, 1600s, 1590s, 1540s, 1650s, 1530s, 1640s, 1520s, 1630s, 1510s, 1620s, 1580s, 1730s, 1690s, 1570s, 1680s, 1560s, 1670s, 1550s, 1660s

• Name

  Mautin, Francois Albert, Homberg, Octave, Homberg, Octave Marie Joseph Kérim, Monthiers, Jeanne Louise, Vever, Henri

• Place

  Tabriz

• Topic

  S?afavid dynasty, 1501-1736, Art, Henri Vever collection, Lacquer, Arts of the Islamic World

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Object Type

  Books