A BRONZE OPENWORK 'ALAM (PROCESSIONAL STANDARD)
Possibly Hyderabad, Deccan, Central India, late 17th century

Of typical drop-like shape, resting on a gently splayed cylindrical shaft, the openwork centre reading the names of Allah, Muhammad and 'Ali, the central medallion framed within an epigraphic band possibly engraved with Shi'a prayers, now rubbed and hard to read, terminating at the top with the typical fish-tail finial, the 'alam surrounded by a plain bronze band, a simpler version of the dragon-headed prototypes on Safavid processional standards, next to the joint of the shaft a later engraved inscription reading Waqf 'Ali 'Abbas, suggesting its possible use during Ashura processions, 40.2cm high.

Provenance: Christie's South Kensington, 11 April 2008, lot 403.

The shape, style and overall composition of this 'alam suggest an Indian attribution, most precisely to the area of the Deccan. A slightly later and more elaborate example of Deccani processional standard can be seen in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (acc. no. 2013.37). For a further comparable example, please see Christie's London, 5 October 2010, lot 41.