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Lot 147

Two Qajar wood printing Blocks
Persia, 19th Century
(2)

23 April 2013, 10:30 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £1,125 inc. premium

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Two Qajar wood printing Blocks
Persia, 19th Century

both of rectangular form, the first with arched top, depicting the Imam 'Ali flanked by two magic squares and various bands of inscription; the second depicting the Imam 'Ali flanked by his sons Hasan and Husayn, below a lion and two rosettes, the interstices with bands of inscription
the largest 20.5 x 16.4 cm.(2)

Footnotes

Inscriptions: to the first: (in the borders, panels and lion): Qur'an, chapters II (al-baqara), verses 255-257; LXVIII (al-qalam), verses 51 and 52 (in the borders and panels); XCI (al-shams), verses 1-7 (in the lion). In the top corners of the central figure (seated Imam 'Ali): Invocations to two archangels 'O Mika'il! O Jibra'i! The figures on the sides of 'Ali are his sons Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn; to the second: The basmala (in the spandrels), invocations to God through His attributes (in side panels and 2 roundels below the figure), ending with an invocation to Imam 'Ali as: ya sayyid al-sadat 'O lords of [all] lords!', invocations to the four archangels (in the four corners) and magic words (in the four panels above) and magic numbers (in positive on the sides of the fugure). (in the arch) .... Vared shodeh ast har kas ba'd az namaz barin shekl nazar konad atash-e duzakh bar vey haram gardad. 'It has been entered in ... that whoever, looks at this image after praying, the fire of hell be forbidden on him'.

Additional information