Object Details
Description
Manuscript; Book of poetry; Ottoman Turkish in black and red nasta'liq script; 34 folios with a double-page frontispiece (fols. 1 verso,1 recto); illuminated headings; dated colophon (folio 34recto); standard page: 2 columns, 22 lines of text.
Binding: The manuscript is bound in leather over paper pasteboards with leather filigree designs on the exterior covers.
Inscriptions
Folio 34 recto: "it belongs to the poor [soul] in need of the mercy of the Lord of mankind, Sayyid Lutfullah b. Azizada Sayyid Ibrahim al-Yanyawi. Completed in the year [A.H.] 1190, [A.D. 1776-77]."
Affixed to exterior, front cover, lower left corner, rectangular sticker with blue border: "32" written in blue ink
Front flyleaf affixed to upper left corner, rectangular sticker with blue octagonal border: illegible number that has been worn away
Front flyleaf: "No. 24" written in black ink and crossed out
Front flyleaf: "no. 10381" written in black ink
Front flyleaf: "N /OT" written in black ink
Front flyleaf: "no 98" written in pencil
Front flyleaf: "HV rtzx" written in pencil
Front flyleaf: "fin du XV ͤ S." written in pencil
Front flyleaf: "32" written and circled in pencil
Provenance
?-1942
Henri Vever (1854-1942), method of acquisition unknown [1]
1942-1947
Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947), bequest of Henri Vever [2]
1947-1986
Francois Mautin (1907-2003), bequest of Jeanne Louise Monthiers and Henri Vever [3]
From 1986
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery purchased from Francois Mautin [4]
Notes:
[1] 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 was in Vever's collection at the time of his death in 1942.
[2] Upon Henri Vever's death on September 25, 1942, his wife, Jeanne Louise Monthiers inherited this work. See exhibits F and G of Agreement of Purchase and Sale of the Henri Vever Collection, January 9, 1986, copy in object file.
[3] 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 2.
[4] 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 June 2, 2022
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Previous custodian or owner
François Mautin (1907-2003)
Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947)
Henri Vever (1854-1942)
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
Date
1776-77 (1190 A.H.)
Period
Ottoman period
Accession Number
S1986.31
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Manuscript
Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 33.2 x 21.2 cm (13 1/16 x 8 3/8 in)
Origin
Turkey
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
Ottoman period (1307 - 1922)
poetry
nasta'liq script
illumination
Turkey
Arts of the Islamic World
Henri Vever collection
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_S1986.31