Finial with Arabic Inscription"Ya, Da'im" ("Oh, Everlasting!")

Unknown

17th century · Steel; inlaid with gold on front and silver foil overlay on reverse · Islamic Art

Finials such as this example likely came from the tops of standards ('alams) carried in Shi'i processions to commemorate the martyrdom of Husain, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the battle of Karbala. The 'alams signify the battle standards carried by Husain and his band of supporters. These finials are datable to the seventeenth century, a period in which the Shi'i religious orthodoxy was particularly pronounced in Iran.

Artist

Unknown

Date

17th century

Medium

Steel; inlaid with gold on front and silver foil overlay on reverse

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Gift of Nasser D. Khalili, in honor of his son, Daniel Jonathan Khalili, 1982