A MONUMENTAL ASHURA HANGING Iran, first half 20th century

A MONUMENTAL ASHURA HANGING
Iran, first half 20th century
Three joined lengths of plain cotton weave printed and painted in polychromes, the borders printed with multiple layers of floral friezes, the field painted with a panorama of the Battle of Karbala 61 AH (680), major figures and places identified with printed names in black nasta’liq: the saint Hossein, the saint Abbas, Hakim bin Tufail, Ghassem, Amir Sa’d, Harmaleh, Ali Akbar, Shimr, Sanan, the encampment, the martyrdom place, and the river Euphrates, lower right of the left panel stamped ‘Amal 'e Hassan Fakhari’, 320cm x 405cm.
This hanging, probably used in Ashura commemoration ceremonies, most likely in a hosseinieh, would have been used by narrators to illustrate the many laments associated with the battle. The iconography and the attributes are well-established: the saint Abbas carrying the waterskin on his back and cutting an enemy officer in two; Ali Akbar attacking another; the young Ghassem abandoning his bride in the bedchamber to join the battle and lunging forward; the saint Hossein on horseback carrying swaddled infant Ali Asghar; Harmaleh firing an arrow; an angel bringing water to the injured characters; the saints mourning the martyrdom of the young Ali Akbar; and lastly, Hossein with the lion and the Indian nobleman, each character playing his role in the familiar story of the massacre.
Sold for £4,750
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