Folio from a Qur'an, sura 111:1-5; sura112:1-4, right-hand half of a double-page finispiece

Object Details

• Description

  Detached folio from a Qur'an; right-hand half of a double-page finispiece; facing folio (S1986.86.2); recto: Sura al-masad (the palm fiber), sura 111:1-5, one column, 8 lines of text; verso: Sura al-ikhlas (the sincerity), sura 112:1-4, one column, 6 lines of text; Arabic in white thuluth and muhaqqaq script; vocalized in black and white with red letters for reading and recitation; one of a group of two folios.

• Label

  The Qur'an-the unadulterated word of God for Muslims-is the most revered text in the Islamic world, and no effort was spared in its embellishment. Qur'ans made in sixteenth-century Iran frequently begin and end with a double-folio of intricate designs rendered with paints made from gold and lapis lazuli, the semi-precious stone. This double-folio is inscribed with the last two chapters of the Qur'an, entitled al-Falaq (Dawn) and al-Nas (Mankind), and would have appeared at the end of the manuscript.

• Provenance

  ?-1942

  Henri Vever (1851-1942), method of acquisition unknown [1]

  1942-1947

  Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947), bequest of Henri Vever [2]

  1947-1986

  Francois Mautin (1907-2003), bequest of Jeanne Louise Monthiers and Henri Vever [3]

  From 1986

  The National Museum of Asian Art, by purchased from Francois Mautin [4]

  Notes:

  [1] 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.

  [2] 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.

  [3] 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.

  [4] The Museum 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 on June 27, 2024

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

  Gold: The Asian Touch (September 10, 2005 to February 20, 2006)

  The Divine Word of Islam (July 4, 1993 to January 2, 1994)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Henri Vever (1854-1942)

  Francois Mautin (1907-2003)

• Origin

  probably Shiraz, Iran

• Credit Line

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

• Type

  Manuscript

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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  collections.si.edu

• Date

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• Name

  Mautin, Francois Albert, Vever, Henri

• Place

  Shiraz

• Topic

  S?afavid dynasty, 1501-1736, Art, Henri Vever collection, Arts of the Islamic World, Sura 112, Qur'an, Sura 111

• Culture

  Muslims, Iranians

• Object Type

  Manuscripts