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

Public Domain

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Artist Isma'il Jalayir(Iranian, died c. 1870)Iranian, 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 watercolor, 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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Department

Art of the Islamic Worlds

Object Type

DRAWINGS, PASTELS & WATERCOLORS

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.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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