ticketsMember | Make a donation

Standard

early 18th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 462
Under the Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals, steel or silver standards were used in military, royal, and religious ceremonies. The talismanic power of this standard ('alam) is understood through the choice of the inscriptions. On one side, in the centermost circle, the Shi'i prayer venerates the Prophet Muhammad's family through his cousin and son-in-law 'Ali, his wife Fatima, and their sons Hasan and Husain, supported by the protective Throne verse (2:255). The other side honors the twelve imams, with the name of the twelfth imam enclosed in the central circle. As for the fingers, they are incomplete and display a combination of Qur'anic verses and popular Shi'i invocations. The power of the names of these religious figures, the Qur'anic verses, and the Shi'i prayers endow this standard with its amuletic properties.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Standard
  • Date: early 18th century
  • Geography: Attributed to Iran
  • Medium: Silver with black inlay
  • Dimensions: H. 19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm)
    W. 9 in. (22.9 cm)
    D. 1 9/16 in. (4 cm)
    Wt. 24.4 oz. (691.8 g)
  • Classification: Metal
  • Credit Line: Gift of Marilyn Jenkins, 1984
  • Object Number: 1984.504.2
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Calligraphic Plaque, Steel; forged and pierced
Calligraphic Plaque
probably late 17th century
Velvet Panel with Flowering Plants, Silk, cotton, flat metal wrapped thread; cut and voided velvet, brocaded
Velvet Panel with Flowering Plants
first half 17th century
"Portrait of the Russian Ambassador, Prince Andrey Priklonskiy", Folio from the Davis Album, 'Ali Quli Jabbadar Iranian, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
"Portrait of the Russian Ambassador, Prince Andrey Priklonskiy", Folio from the Davis Album
'Ali Quli Jabbadar
dated 1048 AH/1673–74 CE
"Two Old Men in Discussion Outside a Hut", Folio from the Davis Album, 'Ali Quli Jabbadar Iranian, Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper
"Two Old Men in Discussion Outside a Hut", Folio from the Davis Album
'Ali Quli Jabbadar
dated 1085 AH/1674–75 CE
Vase, Copper; tinned
Vase
17th–18th century

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.