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Lot Essay
The inscriptions on one side have in the central panel, tawakkaltu 'ala allah (I put my trust in God) and the names Allah, Muhammad and 'Ali at the top. Around the sides the silver inscription are undeciphered. The inscription in silver around the border of the other side of the 'alam are from the Qur'an, LXI sura al-saff, parts of v.13; Qur'an XII, Sura Yusuf, parts of v.64; and Qur'an VII, sura al-a'raf, parts of v.89.
There is a long tradition of 'alams in the Deccan, as evidenced by a miniature dating from 1610 (Mark Zebrowski, Gold, Silver and Bronze from Mughal India, London, 1997, pl.528, p.320). The present example differs from those illustrated in that it is made of steel but not pierced. The density of the floral decoration is very close to that of Mughal and Deccani illumination of the first half of the 17th century such as that produced in the kitabhane in Agra.
There is a long tradition of 'alams in the Deccan, as evidenced by a miniature dating from 1610 (Mark Zebrowski, Gold, Silver and Bronze from Mughal India, London, 1997, pl.528, p.320). The present example differs from those illustrated in that it is made of steel but not pierced. The density of the floral decoration is very close to that of Mughal and Deccani illumination of the first half of the 17th century such as that produced in the kitabhane in Agra.