AN IMPORTANT SCROLL WITH THE RELIGIOUS TRIAD, INSTRUCTIONS FOR SPECIAL PRAYERS, AND MOON CHARTS
Iran, 18th century

A talismanic scroll including a list of rituals to perform when viewing the new crescent moon, Arabic and Persian manuscript on paper, in black and red ink naskh script, the heading with a calligraphic interlace of the religious triad's names, Allah, Muhammad, and 'Ali, mirrored to form a dome and two minarets, above quotes from the Prophet and various Shi'a Imams, containing charts and graphic compositions of magical letters and words, geomantic numbers, symbols, and geometric shapes arranged in charts, within blue, black, gold, and red rules, wrapped in a curved red morocco leather strap, the interior applied with polychrome brocade ribbon and crochet silver lace, an 8.5cm length of Imperial Persian ribbon to the interior of the leather strap, the purple silk brocaded in precious metal thread with the Qajar emblem of Shir o Khorshid (Lion and Sun) within an open laurel wreath, flanked by two polychrome imperial crowns, 312cm x 11cm.

Provenance: Galerie Fischer, Lucerne (CH), 'Persische Manuskripte und Miniaturen' auction, 4 December 1968, lot 1271.