Bidspirit auction | AN ISLAMIC CALLIGRAPHIC INSCRIBED AGATE

AN ISLAMIC CALLIGRAPHIC INSCRIBED AGATE TALISMANIC PLAQUE. - An oval, dark carnelian agate tablet, carved in intaglio with religious calligraphy. The stone displays a deep brownish-orange tone with subtle translucency. The face is meticulously engraved with four horizontal registers of text, each separated by horizontal bands and enclosed within a triple-line oval border. The calligraphy is rendered in a refined Naskh style, set against a densely stippled or dotted background. The inscription contains the Nad-e Ali, a well-known Shia devotional prayer. The text begins on the top register with the words Nadi Aliyan mazhar al-ajaib (Call upon Ali, the manifester of wonders) and continues through the subsequent registers: Tajidhu awnan laka fin-nawaib / Kullu hammin wa ghammin sayanjali / Bi-wilayatika ya Ali, ya Ali, ya Ali (You will find him a helper in times of calamity / Every care and grief will vanish / Through your guardianship, O Ali, O Ali, O Ali). The technique employs fine lapidary engraving, likely produced in Qajar Iran or the Deccan region of India.