TWO RELIGIOUS SCROLLS WITH ASHURA PILGRIMAGE PRAYERS
Qajar Iran, one dated 1312 AH (1894 AD) and signed Seyyed Hashem Touba

Comprising two religious scrolls containing prayers to be recited during the Ashura pilgrimage, Arabic manuscript on paper, both in black naskh script, the first with significant words in red, the heading embellished with gold scrolling flowering motifs with red and blue highlights, within a bright red-pink border, the title of the pilgrimage text in red against a burnished gold cartouche, set within blue, black, and gold rules, the scroll leather end with crochet silver lace, with a polychrome brocade ribbon at the joint, a 5.5cm 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 the Shir o Khorshid (Lion and Sun) within an open laurel wreath, 302cm x 8.8cm; and the other similar, with an illuminated heading in gold and polychromes, the text reserved in gold cloud-bands, within gold, red, blue, and black rules, the opening of brown morocco leather edged with silver crochet lace, with a 6cm length of the same Imperial Persian ribbon to the interior of the leather strap, the leather painted with schematic 'swan and flower' designs, signed Seyyed Hashem Touba, dated 1312 AH (1894 AD), made for Agha Mirza Asadullah Khan, 195cm x 8.3cm.

Provenance: Galerie Fischer, Lucerne (CH), 'Persische Manuskripte und Miniaturen' auction, 4 December 1968, lots 1272 and 1273.