string(21) "edanmdm:fsg_S1986.248" Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); recto: Battle scene; verso: Piran's advice to Afrasiyab - National Museum of Asian Art
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Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); recto: Battle scene; verso: Piran's advice to Afrasiyab

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At A Glance

  • Period

    circa 1580

  • Geography

    Iran

  • Material

    Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper

  • Dimension

    H x W: 30.8 x 20.2 cm (12 1/8 x 7 15/16 in)

  • Accession Number

    S1986.248

  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_S1986.248

Object Details

  • Description

    Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; Persian in black nasta'liq script; no heading in the title band; recto: Battle scene; verso: text: Piran's advice to Afrasiyab, four columns, twenty-five lines; one of a group of three folios.
    Border: The text and the painting are set in gold, black, and blue rulings on cream-colored paper.

  • Provenance

    1930
    Unidentified sale, 1930, no. 127. [1]
    To 1942
    Henri Vever (1854-1942), Paris and Noyers, France. [2]
    From 1942 to 1986
    Family member, Paris and Boulogne, France, by inheritance from Henri Vever, Paris and Noyers, France. [3]
    From 1986
    Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, purchased from a family member, Paris and Boulogne, France. [4]
    Notes:
    [1] See Susan Nemazee, "Appendix 7: Chart of Recent Provenance" in An Annotated and Illustrated Checklist of the Vever Collection, Glenn D. Lowry et al (Washington, DC: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1988), p. 407.
    [2] See the Agreement for the Purchase and Sale of the Henri Vever Collection of January 9, 1986, Collections Management Office.
    [3] See note 2.
    [4] See note 2.

  • Collection

    Arthur M. Sackler Collection

  • Exhibition History

    Shirin Neshat: Facing History, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (May 19 to September 20, 2015)

  • Previous custodian or owner

    Henri Vever (1854-1942)
    Francois Mautin (1907-2003)

  • Origin

    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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