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Thumbnail-size images of copyrighted artworks are displayed under fair use, in accordance with guidelines recommended by the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for the Visual Arts, published by the College Art Association in February 2015.
Ali, Hassan and Hussein
Egyptian
20th Century
Medium/Technique
Chromolithograph
Dimensions
Height x width: 35.6 × 57.1 cm (14 × 22 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Edwin E. Jack Fund
Accession Number2023.53
The rise of print media in Egypt in the 19th century meant the mass production of books and by the early 20th century, posters and other printed items, like envelopes for businesses or calling cards, were pritned widely as well. The posters often portrayed religious, political or literary scenes. This poster, likely from the 1930s, centers Imam Ali, the Prophet Muhammad's nephew and the first Shi'a Imam, with his sons, Hassan and Hussein, at either side of him.
DescriptionOne seated adult figure, labeled Assad Allah al-Ghalib, Ali bin Abi Talib (the victorious lion of God, Ali bin Abi Talib) flanked by two smaller figures labeled Hassan (Radiyah allahu 'anhu, May God be pleased with him) on the right and Hussein (Radiyah allahu 'anhu, May God be pleased with him) on the left on a green landscape with some date palms.
ProvenanceAbout 1930s/1940s, probably acquired by the library of the Philosophical Research Society, Los Angeles; 1990s, sold by the library of the Philosophical Research Society to Sam Fogg, Ltd., London; 2022, consigned by Sam Fogg to N.G. McBurney (bookseller), London; 2023, sold by N. G. McBurney to the MFA. (Accession Date: February 15, 2023)