Folio from a Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi (d.1020); verso: Faridun mourns by the Coffin of Iraj; recto: unrelated text
HISTORICAL PERIOD: Il-Khanid dynasty, ca. 1330-1340
MEDIUM: Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
DIMENSIONS: H x W: 59.5 x 40 cm (23 7/16 x 15 3/4 in)
GEOGRAPHY: Iran, Tabriz
CREDIT LINE: Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
COLLECTION: Henri Vever collection
ACCESSION NUMBER: S1986.101

PROVENANCE
To 1913: Georges Demotte (1877-1923), Paris, France. [1]
From 1913 to 1942: Henri Vever (1854-1942), Paris and Noyers, France, purchased from Georges Demotte, Paris, France on November 13, 1913. [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, D.C.: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1988), p. 401. See also Glen D. Lowry and Susan Nemazee, "Appendix 2: Ledger of Acquisitions, 1894 and 1907-17" in A Jeweler’s Eye: Islamic Arts of the Book from the Vever Collection (Washington, D.C.: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1988), p. 235.
[2] See note 1.
[3] See the Agreement for the Purchase and Sale of the Henri Vever Collection of January 9, 1986, Collections Management Office.
[4] See note 3.

PREVIOUS OWNERS
Francois Mautin French, born 1907
Henri Vever 1854 - 1942
Georges Demotte 1877 - 1923

DESCRIPTION
Detached folio from a dispersed copy of Shahnama (Book of kings) by Firdawsi; text: Persian in black naskh script, headings in gold naskh outlined in black; recto: unrelated text, six columns, 31 lines; verso: illustration and text, Faridun mourns by the coffin of Iraj, six columns, 13 lines; one of a group of 16 folios.
Border: The painting and the text are set in gold, black and blue rulings on cream-colored paper.
Source: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington DC, S1986.101

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Washington DC, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Title of Work: Shahnama (Great Mongol)
Manuscript: S1986.100-107
Accession Number: S86.0101
Chapter 6 - Faridun (500 years)
Scene: The head of Iraj is brought to Faridun
Dimensions (h x w): 217 x 282 mm
Format: Rectangular within borders
Reconstructed Folio: 012r
Gregorian Date: 1335 (circa)
School: Tabriz
Source: Shahnama Project