Folio from a Falnama (Book of omens); verso: Expulsion of Adam and Eve; recto: text

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of Falnama (Book of omens); text: Persian in black nasta’liq script; recto: text, one column, eleven lines; verso: illustration: Expulsion of Adam and Eve; one of a group of twenty folios.
Border: The painting and text have occupied the full width of the page.

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Historical period(s)
Safavid period, mid 1550s
Medium
Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 59.7 x 44.9 cm (23 1/2 x 17 11/16 in)
Geography
Iran, Qazvin
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S1986.251
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript, Painting
Type

Detached manuscript folio

Keywords
Adam, angel, dragon, Eve, Falnama, Henri Vever collection, Iran, peacock, Safavid period (1501 - 1722)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of Falnama (Book of omens); text: Persian in black nasta'liq script; recto: text, one column, eleven lines; verso: illustration: Expulsion of Adam and Eve; one of a group of twenty folios.
Border: The painting and text have occupied the full width of the page.

Label

In this painting, Adam, whom Muslims consider the father of humanity and the first prophet, is depicted riding a serpent; Eve rides a peacock. According to tradition, Iblis, the Islamic counterpart to Satan, was intent on entering the Garden of Eden to foil Adam and Eve. By appealing to his vanity, Iblis enticed the peacock, the gatekeeper of paradise, to allow the serpent, then the most beautiful of all creatures, to enter Eden. Seated between the serpent's fangs, Iblis entered the garden and seduced Eve into eating the fruit of the forbidden tree. 

Published References
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Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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