Isma'il Jalayir
A Portrait of 'Ali, Hasan, Husayn, and the Sufi Leader Nur 'Ali Shah Ni 'matullahi

A Portrait of 'Ali, Hasan, Husayn, and the Sufi Leader Nur 'Ali Shah Ni 'matullahi

Public Domain

A Portrait of 'Ali, Hasan, Husayn, and the Sufi Leader Nur 'Ali Shah Ni 'matullahi
ArtistIranian, died c. 1870
CulturePersian
Titles
  • A Portrait of 'Ali, Hasan, Husayn, and the Sufi Leader Nur 'Ali Shah Ni 'matullahi
DateSecond half of 19th century
MediumInk, opaque watercolors, and gold on paper
DimensionsSheet: 6 × 5 1/8 in. (15.3 × 13 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Franci Neely, Rania and Jamal Daniel, Matt and Jennifer Esfahani, Nijad and Zeina Fares, Lily and Hamid Kooros, Cathy and Vahid Kooros, Sima and Masoud Ladjevardian, Behrooz Ramesh, Sabiha and Omar Rehmatulla, Aziz Shaibani, and Monsour Taghdisi
Object number2009.1143
Non exposé

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DescriptionThis small painting features ‘Ali, the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, seated with his two sons, Hasan and Husayn, and two Sufi shaykhs, including Nur ‘Ali Shah, leader of the Ni‘matullahi Sufi order. Sufis regard the Prophet Muhammad and his cousin ‘Ali as models of mystical insight; thus, ‘Ali is represented here as a symbol of mystical guidance. The sheepskin, or pust, that ‘Ali sits upon delineates the ritual space of a Sufi shaykh, while the radiating rays allude to ‘Ali’s spiritual enlightenment. Artist Isma‘il Jalayir’s signature is found in a corner of the pond in the painting’s foreground.
Provenance[Sotheby’s, London, Sale L09723, October 7, 2009, lot 69]; purchased by MFAH, 2009.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Artist signature in the corner of the pond at the base of the painting.

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