Nawab Ali-Mardan Khan

Object Details

• Court

  Mughal Court

• School/Tradition

  Mughal school

• Description

  Detached album folio; Nawab Ali-Mardan Khan; single-page portrait; Persian in black nasta'liq script, the inscription on the top reads: the portrait of Nawab Ali-Mardan Khan Bahadur.

  Border: The painting is set in black and white rulings in a brown inner frame of floral scroll, surrounded by a green, red and gold outer frame, mounted on paperboard with floral motifs.

• Marks

  Matting board: Nabab Ali Mardan Khan written in pencil

  Old matting: white rectangular sticker, 753 printed in black ink

  Old matting: Vever 326 written in pencil

  Old matting: Portrait de Ali M. Khan (bandour), written in pencil

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

  Old matting: rectangular sticker with blue boarder, 326 written in blue pencil

  Old matting: Vever 326 written in pencil

  Old matting: 12 Vever, written in blue pencil

  Old matting: 12 Vever, written in blue pencil

• Inscriptions

  On the top: Shabih-i Ali- Mardan Khan Bahadur.

  On the top: Shabih-i Ali- Mardan Khan Bahadur.

• 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. D” 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

• Previous custodian or owner

  Possibly 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

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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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, Portraits, Ruler, Nawab

• Culture

  Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Paintings