Figure of Bird: ʿAlam in the Shape of a Peacock

Titre

En Figure of Bird: ʿAlam in the Shape of a Peacock

Fr Figure d'oiseau : ʿAlam en forme de paon

Type

Processional standard

Créateur/ Créatrice

Unknown

Identifiant

1912,0716.1

Format

Steel, engraved, gilded, overlaid and inlaid with gold decoration and turquoise inlay;

Dimension

89 × 47 × 39 cm

Lieu de découverte

Iran

Résumé

En ʿAlam in the shape of a peacock, likely decorating the cross-bar of a processional standard carried during Shi'i religious festivals, including Ashura commemorating the martyrdom of Husayn at Karbala (680 CE). The fanned tail's central medallion depicts ʿAli, Hasan, and Husayn. Engraved with stylised inscriptions, princely hunting scenes, human busts, and animals in typical Qajar style. The bird's eyes are set with turquoise. Said to have come from a Yezidi shrine near Diyarbakır, Kurdistan. On display at Gallery 43, Display Case 1. This fine steel peacock may have decorated the cross-bar of an 'alam, a standard carried during religious festivals in Iran. One of the most important of these is Ashura, in honour of Husayn, the third Shi'i Imam and son of 'Ali (the fourth caliph and first Shi'i Imam) and Fatima (daughter of the Prophet Muhammad), who was martyred in AD 680 in the desert area of Karbala. 'Ali and his two sons, Hasan and Husayn, are depicted in the central medallion on the peacock's fanned tail. The bird is also engraved with stylised inscriptions, princely hunting scenes, human busts and animals in a style typical of the Qajar period (1771-1924) in Iran. Peacocks were symbols of beauty and the pleasures of the court throughout the Islamic world. The birds were often allowed to wander around the gardens of noblemen and models of peacocks ornamented the famous Peacock Throne, taken from India to Iran by Nadir Shah in 1739. They also had a strong association with Shi'i and Sufi iconography. At the time of its acquisition by the British Museum, the peacock was thought to be associated with the Yazidi community in present-day Kurdistan, who venerate the 'peacock angel'.
The peacock is also associated with the Yezidis, who refer to Satan as the 'peacock angel.' When registered, this particular object was recorded as being from a Yezidi shrine.
This fine steel peacock may have decorated the cross-bar of an 'alam, a standard carried during religious festivals in Iran. One of the most important of these is Ashura, in honour of Husayn, the third Shi'i Imam and son of 'Ali (the fourth caliph and first Shi'i Imam) and Fatima (daughter of the Prophet Muhammad), who was martyred in AD 680 in the desert area of Karbala. 'Ali and his two sons, Hasan and Husayn, are depicted in the central medallion on the peacock's fanned tail. The bird is also engraved with stylised inscriptions, princely hunting scenes, human busts and animals in a style typical of the Qajar period (1771-1924) in Iran. Peacocks were symbols of beauty and the pleasures of the court throughout the Islamic world. The birds were often allowed to wander around the gardens of noblemen and models of peacocks ornamented the famous Peacock Throne taken from India to Iran by Nadir Shah in 1739. They also had a strong association with Shi'i and Sufi iconography.

Date

19th century (Qajar period, 1771–1924)

Contribution

Imre Schwaiger

Source

Donated by Imre Schwaiger (Calcutta and Simla), through Art Fund (as NACF), 1912

Edition

The British Museum, London (Department of the Middle East)

Référence

British Museum

Langue

Fa

Citation bibliographique

Ward, Rachel, Islamic Metalwork, London, British Museum Press, 1993, fig. 96.

Akbarnia et al., The Islamic World: a History in Objects, London, Thames & Hudson/British Museum, 2018, p. 179, fig. 4.

Droits

Licence

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0