A LARGE MUSLIM INDIAN PRAYER COTTON BANNER WITH IMAM 'ALI'S QUALITIES AND RELIGIOUS INVOCATIONS
Northern India, 19th century

A LARGE MUSLIM INDIAN PRAYER COTTON BANNER WITH IMAM 'ALI'S QUALITIES AND RELIGIOUS INVOCATIONS
Northern India, 19th century

Opaque pigments and ink heightened with gold on an off-white cotton canvas, the large prayer panel opening with a rectangular cartouche with an invocation to Allah in black ink intertwined thuluth script, the cartouche inscribed 1251 AH (1835 AD), framed within a vegetal festoon of pink and blue rosettes, in the middle a large oval medallion describing the physical qualities of the first Shi'a Imam 'Ali, the vertical-format lobed cartouche in the centre containing v. 103 of Sura al-Imran (3) in free-flowing black ink naskh script, ending with a large inscription in bold rayhani script, with nominal roundels on the corners referring to Sunni characters including Talheh and Ayrsha, the hot pink borders decorated with Persian-inspired illuminated cusped cartouches with polychrome flowers and gilt rosette bands, and crossing khanjar daggers with white curled hilts, at the top an image of Ka'ba, the reverse plain, 121.5cm x 70cm.

(Quantity:1)

Dimensions: 121.5cm x 70cm