A LOOSE QAJAR ALBUM PAGE WITH SHI'A ICONOGRAPHY: IMAM 'ALI AND HIS SONS Iran, mid to late 19th century Opaque pigments and black ink heightened with gold on paper, the vertical-format composition depicting a renowned topos in Shi'a iconography, featuring Imam 'Ali seated in the centre, holding a sword on his lap, flanked by his two sons, Hasan and Hussain, and two pious scholars (mufti), 'Ali's halo irradiating light all across the background, laid onto an illuminated album border with rosette scrollwork and decorative cartouches in polychromes and gold, the back of the frame with old provenance and inventory labels, mounted, glazed and framed, 39.5cm x 32.7cm including the frame. Provenance: Christie's London, South Kensington, ISLAMIC MANUSCRIPTS FEATURING THE MOHAMED MAKIYA COLLECTION, 18 April 2016, part of lot 41.

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