Object Description
Very large Persian pierced steel Islamic standard damascened with gold
Persian, 19th Century
Height 82cm, width 44cm, depth 10cm
This fine processional standard (known as an ‘Alam) was produced in Qajar period Persia. The standard is crafted from steel, which is inlaid (or damascened) with gold. The standard is drop shaped, with a steel outer border and two further drop-shaped internal steel borders, both of which are finished with damascened gold arabesques. The main surface of the standard is intricately pierced, the openwork steel wrought into a busy arrangement of intertwining arabesques. The outer section quotes Sura 96 from the Quran in Thuluth script, while the inner reads “As salam aleikum, Abu Abdullah”. The standard is supported on a steel stand above a stepped base.