Prince visiting a holy man

Object Details

Description

Detached album folio; Prince visiting a holy man.

Border: The painting is set in gold and black rulings mounted on paperboard.

Marks

Old matting: 307 A written in pencil

Old matting: H. Vever written in black ink and underlined

Old matting: 3, written in blue pencil and underlined

Old matting: Est. Dem. rsx, written in pencil

Old matting: 82, written in black ink and circled

Old matting: 82, written in black ink and circled

Provenance

?-?

Georges Demotte (1877-1923), method of acquisition unknown [1]

?-1942

Henri Vever (1854-1942), likely purchased from Georges Demotte [2]

1942-1947

Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947), bequest of Henri Vever [3]

1947-1986

Francois Mautin (1907-2003), bequest of Jeanne Louise Monthiers and Henri Vever [4]

From 1986

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery purchased from Francois Mautin [5]

Notes:

[1] See annotation “Est. Dem” on the verso of the work, which suggests the work was estimated and possibly sold by Georges Demotte to Vever. Georges Demotte was a collector and dealer of Islamic and medieval European art. He had galleries in Paris and New York City.

[2] 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 object was in Vever's collection at the time of his death in 1942. Vever had the work in his collection at the time of his death.

[3] 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.

[4] 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.

[5] 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 24, 2023

Collection

Arthur M. Sackler Collection

Previous custodian or owner

Georges Demotte (1877-1923)

Henri Vever (1854-1942)

Jeanne Louise Monthiers (1861-1947)

Francois Mautin (1907-2003)

Data Source

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Date

mid-18th century

Credit Line

Purchase — Smithsonian Unrestricted Trust Funds, Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program, and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler

Medium

Opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Dimensions

H x W (overall): 21 x 13.7 cm (8 1/4 x 5 3/8 in)

Type

Painting