Object Details
Court
Mughal Court
School/Tradition
Mughal school
Description
Detached folio from a dispersed manuscript; text panels in Persian black nasta'liq script; A chukar partridge.
Border: The painting is set in red and blue rulings surrounded by a brown color inner frame and a purple outer frame mounted on paperboard with knotwork motifs.
Marks
Verso of Matting: octagonal sticker, blue border, 144 is—, written in black ink
Verso of Matting: octagonal sticker, blue border, 144 is—, written in black ink
Inscriptions
On the top and bottom text panels, the partridge walked in a cheerful gait/ proud and self-satisfied it came forth/ red beaked and robed in black/ causing blood to boil from its sight.
Label
The chukar partridge appears continually in paintings from both Iran and India, being especially prominent during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The appearance of seemingly individualized animal studies such as this has long been taken as evidence of Mughal interest in the immediate observation of nature. In fact, such illustrations were frequently derived from specific motifs in earlier paintings.
Provenance
By 1929-1942
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. Its unclear when and from where Vever acquired this work, but it was in his collection by 1929 when it was published in Ivan Stchoukine, “La Peinture Indienne a l’époque des Grands Moghols,” (Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, 1929), 205 and figure XXVI.
[2] 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.
[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 updated August 22, 2023.
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Exhibition History
Akbar The Great Emperor of India (October 23, 2012 to February 3, 2013)
L'Age d'or des sciences arabes (October 25, 2005 to March 19, 2006)
Arts of Mughal India (1992) (May 24 to December 6, 1992)
A Jeweler's Eye: Islamic Arts of the Book from the Vever Collection (November 20, 1988 to April 30, 1989)
Previous custodian or owner
Henri Vever (1854-1942)
Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947)
François Mautin (1907-2003)
Credit Line
Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler
Date
late 16th century
Period
Mughal dynasty
Accession Number
S1986.413
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Painting
Medium
Opaque watercolor and ink on cloth
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 29.3 x 19.9 cm (11 9/16 x 7 13/16 in)
H x W (image): 17 x 10.2 cm (6 11/16 x 4 in)
Origin
India
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
flower
Mughal dynasty (1526 - 1858)
quail
India
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Henri Vever collection
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_S1986.413