Folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) by Nizami (d.1209)

Detached folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) by Nizami; text: Persian in white nasta’liq script; right hand half recto: blank, verso: right-hand half of a double-page frontispiece, facing folio (S1986.2); left-hand half recto: left-hand half of a double page frontispiece, facing folio (S1986.1), verso: blank; introduction to the Khamsa; one of a group of two folios.
Border: The text is set in illuminated border mounted on cream-colored paper.

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Historical period(s)
Safavid period, 16th century
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 33 x 19.2 cm (13 x 7 9/16 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1986.81.1-2
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Detached manuscript folio

Keywords
Henri Vever collection, illumination, Iran, Khamsa, nasta'liq script, Safavid period (1501 - 1722)
Provenance

?-1910
Possibly Indjoudjian Frères, method of acquisition unknown [1]

1910-1942
Henri Vever (1854-1942), likely purchased from Indjoudjian Frères [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
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery purchased from Francois Mautin [5]

Notes:

[1] See account ledger referenced in note 2. Vever identifies Indjoudjian Frères as located along rue Le Peletier. Indjoudjian Frères was an antiquities dealership based in Paris and New York, owned by the Armenian-born brothers Agop (1871-1951) and Meguerditch (1884-1927).

[2] 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 is possibly the "double page de titre de Coron, très fine" that Vever purchased from
Indjoudjian Frères on December 9, 1910, see Henri Vever Account Ledger, December 9, 1910 FSA A1988.04.2.2.25, from Henri Vever Papers. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.Vever describes the double-folio as "1 double page de titre de Coran, très finie. » Vever had the folios in his 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 work. 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 folios were part of that collection. See exhibits F and G as cited in note 2.

[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.

Research completed May 4, 2022.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Indjoudjian Freres
Henri Vever 1854-1942
Jeanne Louise Monthiers 1861-1947
Francois Mautin 1907-2003

Description

Detached folio from a Khamsa (Quintet) by Nizami; text: Persian in white nasta'liq script; right hand half recto: blank, verso: right-hand half of a double-page frontispiece, facing folio (S1986.2); left-hand half recto: left-hand half of a double page frontispiece, facing folio (S1986.1), verso: blank; introduction to the Khamsa; one of a group of two folios.
Border: The text is set in illuminated border mounted on cream-colored paper.

Inscription(s)

202 written with a pencil on the recto

Published References
  • 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. 243, p. 214.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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