"No section of Persian art was so brilliantly and completely represented at Burlington House in 1931 as the section of Miniatures. It was the largest and finest collection ever displayed in Europe, and could claim to be fully representative. . . The Bodleian Library, the Libraries of Edinburgh University, the Royal Asiatic Society, and the India Office, lent precious manuscripts and single drawings; but the richest contribution came from that of a private owner, Mr. Chester Beatty. This material was largely new and unpublished; and its juxtaposition with the splendid loans from private collections in Europe and America, especially famous Paris collections like those of M. Vever, the late M. Claude Anet, and M. Cartier, afforded an unparalleled opportunity for comparative study such as was greatly needed." -- Introduction.