A Portrait of 'Ali, Hassan and Husayn, signed by Isma'il Jalayir, Persia, Qajar, 19th century

Ink with use of colour on paper

very good condition. minor scratches not very visible to the extremities, one in the centre. some very minor loss of colour to the edges, as viewed.
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Works by the well-known Qajar artist Isma'il Jalayir are extremely rare and sought after, partly due to the artist's habit of destroying paintings that did not entirely satisfy his own standards. Due to the medium and small size of this particular work, it is possible that it may have originally been destined for a piece of lacquerwork.

In this painting we witness one of Jalayir's favourite scenes, that of Imam 'Ali, with his two sons Hassan and Husayn.  Also at 'Ali's side are two attendants, one of whom is the Ni'matullah Sufi leader and dervish Nur 'Ali Shah (d. 1797), depicted with an axe. A similar scene can be found in another of Jalayir's works, a sheet of decorated calligraphy (Sotheby's, 12 October 2004, lot 31) signed by the artist, in which it appears within the terminal ya of the word 'Ali in a large line of black calligraphy.