Cover of a bookbinding

Historical period(s)
17th century
Medium
Bookbinding cover; papier-maché, opaque watercolor, gold, and lacquer
Dimensions
H x W (image): 17 x 10.5 cm (6 11/16 x 4 1/8 in)
Geography
Iran, Probably Isfahan
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1986.22
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Book
Type

Bookbinding cover (doublure)

Keywords
falconry, gazelle, hawk, Henri Vever collection, horse, hunting, Iran, prince, WWII-era provenance
Provenance

?-1932
M. Hatchik Sevadjian (b.1884), method of acquisition unknown [1]

1932
Sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot "Collection de M. H. Sevadjian: Objets d'Art de haute Antiquité et de Curiosité" April 13-14, 1932, lot 79 [2]

?-1942
Henri Vever (1854-1942), method of acquisition unknown [2]

1942-1947
Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947), bequest of Henri Vever [4]

1947-1986
Francois Mautin (1907-2003), bequest of Jeanne Louise Monthiers and Henri Vever [5]

From 1986
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery purchased from Francois Mautin [6]

Notes:

[1] According to an inventory prepared in 1986, reportedly based on an appraisal prepared by M. A. Densmore, this binding was featured in the 1932 Hôtel Drouot's sale of the Sevadjian collection. See note 2. Born into an Armenian family in Istanbul, Hatchik Sevadjian relocated to Paris in 1902. He became a diamond dealer, opening a shop along the rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, and a connoisseur collector, building a large collection of Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Indian, and Islamic antiquities.

[2] See note 1. Hôtel Drouot "Collection de M. H. Sevadjian: Objets d'Art de haute Antiquité et de Curiosité" [auction catalogue] (Paris, April 13-14, 1932), lot 79, p. 22, plate XIII.

[3] 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. This work was in Vever's collection at the time of his death in 1942.

[4] 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.

[5] 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 work is part of that collection. See exhibits F and G as cited in note 4.

[6] 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 May 4, 2022.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

H. Sevadjian
Henri Vever 1854-1942
Jeanne Louise Monthiers 1861 - 1947
Francois Mautin 1907 - 2003

Label

Album pages were either bound or kept loose in elaborately produced bindings. This finely painted and lacquered cover depicts a princely equestrian figure with a hawk, a ruler's boon companion. The art of hunting, regarded as the royal past-time par excellence, also served as a literary and visual metaphor for personal strength, skill, and courage. It became one of the most popular themes in Persian painting and was adapted to a variety of different media and surfaces.

Published References
  • H. Sevadjian. Publication title unknown. cat. 79, p. 22, pl. XIII.
  • Glenn D. Lowry, Milo Cleveland Beach, Elisabeth West FitzHugh, Susan Nemanzee, Janet Snyder. An Annotated and Illustrated Checklist of the Vever Collection. Washington and Seattle. cat. 477, p. 378.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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