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Selections of Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy
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Shi'i talismanic piece
AUTHOR/CREATOR
Calligrapher: unknown
CREATED/PUBLISHED
19th century
NOTES
Dimensions of Written Surface: 65 (w) x 70 (h) cm
Script: nasta'liq
This large-scale illuminated calligraphic piece in square format appears to have been executed in Iran during the 19th century. It includes a number of details typical of Shi'i popular and devotional materials produced during the later part of the Qajar period (1785-1925). In all likelihood, it functioned as a talismanic object for an Iranian Shi'i patron.
At the top of the page appears a triple-bayed arcade in the center of which kneels Imam 'Ali, the Prophet Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, holding his double-edged sword Dhu al-Fiqar. At his side sit his young sons Hasan and Husayn. Above all three figures appear four cherubim throwing rays of light that transform into golden aureoles above their green turbans. In the upper right and left bays stands the figure of 'Abbas, the brother of Imam Husayn, who was martyred at the battle of Karbalah in 61/680. He is represented (in duplicate) as a standing old man with a white beard and white turban, who hides his hacked right arm in his left sleeve. As one of the important protagonists of the ahl al-bayt (household of the Prophet Muhammad) and revered martyrs of Karbalah, 'Abbas frequently is represented alongside 'Ali, Hasan, and Husayn in the arts of the Qajar period (see Fontana 1994 [cited below]: 51-52 and fig. 52).
The piece is left unfinished, as evidenced by the empty double-bayed arcade at the bottom of the page, as well as a number of empty panels originally intended to hold inscriptions. A number of Qur'anic excerpts, such as Surat al-Kawthar (Qur'an 108), are included in panels shaped like diamonds, rectangles, and circles. Other prayers are included as well; these find refuge in God from Satan and proclaim the bismillah, alternatively written in red, gold, and blue ink. A number of roundels also contain the names of God, 'Ali, and Muhammad.
For a further discussion of Shi'i iconography in the arts of the Qajar period, see: Maria Vittoria Fontana, "L'Iconografia dell'Ahl al-Bayt: Immagini di Arte Persiana dal XII al XX Secolo, Supplemento n. 78 agli Annali", vol. 5/1 (Naples: Istituto Universitario Orientale, 1994), pp. 47-55 and figs. 51-61.
SUBJECT
Arabic calligraphy
Arabic script calligraphy
Illuminated Islamic manuscripts
Islamic calligraphy
Islamic manuscripts
Nasta'liq
MEDIUM
71.5 (w) x 75 (h) cm
CALL NUMBER
ACXX
REPOSITORY
Library of Congress, African and Middle Eastern Division, Washington, D.C. 20540
DIGITAL ID
ascs 259
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.amed/ascs.259
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