Folio from a Divan (collected poems) by Hafiz; recto: Bearded man and a woman in a landscape; verso: text, five couplets of poem

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of a Divan (collected poems) by Hafiz; text: Persian in black nasta’liq script; recto: A bearded man and a woman in a landscape; verso: text, five couplets.
Border: The painting is set in gold, black, and blue rulings on a gold-sprinkled paper.

View right to left

Historical period(s)
Safavid period, 1658-1659
Medium
Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W: 26.8 x 18 cm (10 9/16 x 7 1/16 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S1986.318
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Manuscript
Type

Detached manuscript folio

Keywords
Henri Vever collection, Iran, landscape, man, Safavid period (1501 - 1722), woman
Provenance

?-1932
Indjoudjian Frères, method of acquisition unknown [1]

1932
Sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot "Objets d'art proche-orient des grandes époques ... provenant de la collection de Indjoudjian" December 19, 1932, lot 59[2]

From at least 1938-1942
Henri Vever (1854-1942), method of acquisition unknown [3]

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] See note 2. 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] See Hôtel Drouot "Objets d'art Proche-Orient des grandes époques ... provenant de la collection de Indjoudjian" [auction catalogue] (Paris: December 19, 1932), lot 59. The painting is described as « PRINCESSE ASSISE à gauche, versant du vin et conversant avec un philosophe. » See also marks on reverse of folio.

[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.

[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)

Indjoudjian Freres
Henri Vever 1854-1942
Jeanne Louise Monthiers 1861-1947
Agop Indjoudjian 1871-1951
Francois Mautin 1907-2003

Description

Detached folio from a dispersed copy of a Divan (collected poems) by Hafiz; text: Persian in black nasta'liq script; recto: A bearded man and a woman in a landscape; verso: text, five couplets.
Border: The painting is set in gold, black, and blue rulings on a gold-sprinkled paper.

Inscription(s)

(on backside) written in pencil "1258 pthss"
(on backside) written in pencil "Dec.32, #59."
(on backside) written in ink "Par Muhammad Ali (1658)
(on backside) written in blue chalk - #279.

Published References
  • Indjoudjian Freres. Publication title unknown. cat. 59.
  • 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. 161, p. 130.
  • Abolala Soudavar, Milo Cleveland Beach. Art of the Persian Courts: Selections from the Art and History Trust Collection. New York. cat. 82, pp. 297, 301.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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