30“The male members of the Muslim ‘holy family’,” from a set of devotional posters celebrating the Shiʿi dimension of the Islamic faith

Devotional poster

Iran, ca. 1930–45 Mohammad Saneʿi (d. after 1945) Lithographic print on paper, probably from an etching 17.32 × 27.16 in. (44 × 69 cm) Wereldmuseum, Leiden, 7031-32a Photograph courtesy of the museum

This poster is part of a collection of 21 posters by Mohammad Saneʿi preserved in the Wereldmuseum (7031-32a-h), all of which feature both calligraphy and images of crucial relevance to the Shiʿi creed (for a second poster, see no. 40). The middle of the poster depicts the male members of the Muslim ‘holy family.’ Seated in the foreground and looking to his right, the Prophet Mohammad holds a copy of the Qurʼan in his left hand while gesturing with his right hand, likely in conversation with his son-in-law, the first Shiʿi Emam ʿAli b. Abi Talib. ʿAli is clearly identified by his famous bifurcated sword and a halo composed of small circles with the names of the twelve Shiʿi Emams, and he is flanked on his left by his two adolescent sons, Hasan and Hosayn. Two characters stand in the background and frame the scene. The figure in dervish attire on the far left, with a darkened complexion and holding a ceremonial axe, likely represents ʿAli’s faithful servant Qanbar. The old man on the far right is likely Salman Farisi, the first Iranian convert to Islam. Comparable images are known in many museum collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Figure 1. Detail of central figures, 7031-32a.

The image is framed by a wide oval border with alternating large and small cartouches featuring white script against a black background. Read from the upper right, the six large cartouches (a–f) contain the names of Allah and the five members of the ‘holy family’ (the Prophet Mohammad, ʿAli, the Prophet’s daughter Fatima, Hasan, and Hosayn) (a); verses 51–52 from sura 68 of the Qur’an (al-Qalam, The Pen), defending the Prophet against the charges of the disbelievers (b–e); and verse 64 from sura 12 (Yusuf, Joseph), which praises God as the “best guardian” (f). The three small cartouches at the top mention three of God’s 99 most beautiful names (al-asmaʾ al-husna), while the two small cartouches on the bottom left and right invoke the name of ʿAli. The poster’s four corners are filled with inscribed circles. The upper two contain the two general phrases of the Muslim profession of faith (shahada); the one on the lower right adds the profession’s Shiʿi dimension, praising ʿAli as a “friend of God” (vali Allah); and the one on the lower left mentions ʿAli again as the “most high” (al-aʿla).

According to information supplied in and around the small cartouche at the bottom center, the poster was prepared by Mohammad Saneʿi, a prominent scribe and illustrator of lithographed books between 1930 and 1945 (Marzolph 2001, p. 46–47). The inscription inside the cartouche notes that it was published and distributed by the bookseller Mazlum Shirazi in the Tehran bazaar. In addition to its content, the poster’s devotional character is further underlined by the fact that it was distributed as a gift (hedye), albeit with the expectation of a gift of 5 riyal in return.

Figure 2. Detail of inscriptions at the bottom of the poster, 7031-32a.

Devotional images such as this one were originally prepared as paintings and are ubiquitous in Iran. From the middle of the nineteenth century, the technique of lithographic printing commodified these images so that they could now be displayed not only in shrines but also in other public and private spaces including shops, restaurants, and people’s homes.

A photograph taken inside the Emamzadeh Yahya in the 1970s captured a framed figural image displayed above the stucco inscription. Although the seated figures are difficult to see, the tomb setting suggests that they could be ʿAli flanked by Hasan and Hosayn (fig. 1; see the Photo Timeline). Images of ʿAli and his two sons were also created as wall paintings in a variety of Iranian shrines, including the Emamzadeh Harun-e Velayat (map) (fig. 2), Emamzadeh Esmaʿil (map) and Emamzadeh Jaʿfar (map) in Esfahan, the Tekyeh Khansari (map) in Esfahan, and the Emamzadeh Ebrahim (map) in Kashan (Newid 2006, p. 189–201).

Figure 3. East wall of the Emamzadeh Yahya, Varamin. On the right is a detail of the figural image. Photograph by Robert Hillenbrand, 1970s (before 1976). Courtesy of Special Collections, Fine Arts Library, Harvard University, Hillenbrand 29.2, IrPV.479.
Figure 4. Vestibule with wall paintings leading into the tomb, Emamzadeh Harun-e Vilayat, Esfahan. On the right is ʿAli with Hasan and Hosayn. Photograph by Keelan Overton, 2018.

Sources:

Ulrich Marzolph Retired adjunct professor of Islamic studies at the Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany

Citation: Ulrich Marzolph, “‘The male members of the Muslim holy family,’ from a set of devotional posters.” Catalog entry in The Emamzadeh Yahya at Varamin: An Online Exhibition of an Iranian Shrine, directed and edited by Keelan Overton. 33 Arches Productions, January 15, 2025. Host: Khamseen: Islamic Art History Online.