Scene from The Battle of Karbala

Reverse painting on glass is a decorative technique in which artists apply paint, gold leaf, and silver leaf to the back of a glass panel. The image is then viewed from the front, through the glass. The technique began in Europe and, after the seventeenth century, spread to China, India, Africa, and Iran. In Iran, it became especially popular in the early twentieth century, when artists used it to create portraits of rulers, princes, princesses, and royal couples.

This panel shows a scene from the Battle of Karbala, which took place in 680 CE in the desert city of Karbala. The battle was fought between the small group of followers and family members of Imam Husayn and the army of Yazid ibn Mu'awiya, the son of Mu'awiya I and the Umayyad caliph. Husayn refused to recognize Yazid’s authority, believing his rule to be unjust. As a result, Husayn and his small band of supporters were surrounded and attacked. In the battle, Husayn was killed, and nearly all his companions and family members were also martyred. Only one male member of his immediate family survived: Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-‘Abidin. The Battle of Karbala became a defining event in Islamic history. It is central to Shi‘i identity and is widely regarded as a key moment in the development of the division between Sunni and Shi‘i Islam.

In this panel, Husayn is shown holding his dying son ‘Ali al-Akbar ibn Husayn, in his lap. The Persian inscription reads: "Amadan-i Imam [Husayn] be balin-i ‘Ali Akbar," which means, "The coming of Imam Husayn to the side of ‘Ali Akbar." The image captures a moment of deep grief, as a father mourns his mortally wounded son during one of the most tragic events in Islamic history.