Detached folio from a dispersed copy of the Qur'an; separate from facing folio S1986.65; recto: Sura al-Ma'ida (the Table spread) 5: part of 36-37 and part of 38, recto begins with "yawm al-qiyamati"; verso: sura 5: parts of 38 and 39, verso begins with "wa'l-sariqatu"; Arabic in black "eastern kufic (New Style)" script with stylized scrolling floral design, illuminated roundel verse markers and inscribed marginal medallions; vocalized in red, sukun in black; one column; 4 lines of text; one of a group of two folios.
Border: The text area is filled with palmette scrolls and set within an illuminated frame that terminates at the top and bottom in a semi-medallion.
Provenance:
?-1942
Henri Vever (1851-1942), 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
The National Museum of Asian Art, by purchased from Francois Mautin [4]
Notes:
[1] An accomplished French jeweler and collector, Henri Vever 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 object 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 the object. 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 object is part of that collection. See exhibits F and G as cited in note 3.
[4] The Museum purchased the entirety of the collection from Francois Mautin on January 9, 1986. See purchase agreement, copy in object file. This work is part of the Museum’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection.
Research updated on June 27, 2024
Collection:
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Exhibition History:
Crushed Lapis and Burnished Gold: The Art of Illumination (June 9 to December 8, 1991)
A Jeweler's Eye: Islamic Arts of the Book from the Vever Collection (November 20, 1988 to April 30, 1989)
Persian and Indian Painting - Selections from a Recent Acquisition (September 28, 1987 to February 28, 1988)
