Calligraphic Plaque

Object Name:
Plaque
Date:
probably late 17th century
Geography:
Iran
Medium:
Steel; forged and pierced
Dimensions:
H. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm) W. 15 in. (38.1 cm)
Classification:
Metal
Credit Line:
Rogers Fund, 1987
Accession Number:
1987.14
  • Description

    This cartouche‑shaped plaque was created from a single sheet of solid steel, whose wide, flat border encloses a hemistich referring to Fatima and her sons. The text is part of a versification of the names of the chahardah ma'sum, or the fourteen infallible ones (the Prophet, Fatima, and the twelve imams). Such plaques, which served both a decorative and invocative function, were often set in the doors of shrines, mosques, and theological schools.

  • Provenance

    Sir Charles Marling, England (early 1900s–at least 1931); Marling family, England, by descent (until 1987); [ Ahuan U.K., Ltd., London, 1987; sold to MMA]

  • See also
    What
    Where
    When
    In the Museum
    Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
    MetPublications
140010686

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