Shapur I and the Roman Emperors: A Sasanian Encounter Reimagined
| Support Type: | Paper |
| Paint Type: | Ink |
| Current Location: | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
| Location History: | Qajar Iran, 1838: the manuscript was compiled following Louise de la Marinière's journey through Fars in 1836–37, with illustrations by Ahmad Naqqash and text by Ali Akbar. Royal collection of Muhammad Shah Qajar, c.1838–1840: According to the Met, Louise de la Marinière presented the completed manuscript to her former pupil, Muhammad Shah Qajar, in 1838. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Rudolf Gelpke collection, mid-20th century: the provenance account associated with the manuscript, suggests that Rudolf Gelpke acquired it during one of his stays in Iran, possibly in 1958, 1960 or between 1963 and 1971. Oak Lores Gelpke family collection, after 1972: The manuscript reportedly remained with Gelpke's descendants in Switzerland following his death. Oak Lores Christie's, London, 26 October 2017: Offered at auction in Sale 14218, Lot 19, and purchased by Sam Fogg Ltd. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 2019: Acquired through purchase, with support from the Friends of Ancient Near Eastern Art and The Ishtar Society Gifts. Accession number 2019.116. The first, auction and final museum stages are supported by institutional or published collection information. The intermediate Gelpke ownership dates are reported by OakLores and should be treated as a secondary provenance account, rather than as independently confirmed by the Met's online record. This chain applies to the bound manuscript as a whole, including the folio image; it is not a separately documented ownership history for that individual page. |
This illustrated folio belongs to an unusual nineteenth-century Persian travel manuscript documenting Louise de la Marinière’s journey through southwestern Iran in 1836–37. Executed by Ahmad Naqqash, the illustration records a historical figural composition encountered among the region’s ancient monuments. The carefully delineated horse, human figures, costumes and ceremonial arrangement suggest an attempt to translate monumental imagery into the intimate format of a manuscript drawing. Naqqash’s approach is predominantly documentary. The ink lines preserve the principal forms without the elaborate colouring and surface ornament characteristic of earlier Persian miniature traditions. The result occupies an interesting position between artistic illustration and the visual recording of archaeological evidence. Its significance lies not merely in its aesthetic qualities, but also in its effort to make Iran’s pre-Islamic past visually accessible to contemporary readers. The accompanying Persian text provides the written context for the illustration. However, the available reproduction is not sufficiently clear to establish a reliable, word-for-word translation; a verified transcription is therefore necessary before assigning a precise interpretation to the passage. Historically, the manuscript is particularly significant because it was presented to Muhammad Shah Qajar in 1838. Its collaboration between Louise de la Marinière, the scribe Ali Akbar and Naqqash represents an important nineteenth-century effort to document and propogate Iran’s Achaemenid and Sasanian heritage.
Sources: