The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 24, 2024
Lovers and beloveds: A composite of scenes from Persian, Urdu, and Sanskrit literature
c. 1735
(Indian, c. 1680–с. 1750)
Painting: 41.2 x 29.6 cm (16 1/4 x 11 5/8 in.)
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
Below the bearded poet Hafiz is the woman he loved; her name was Stick of Candy.Description
The figure of Joseph, identified by his halo, sits in the center near the top of this painting of heroes and heroines of ten different Persian, Urdu, and Sanskrit romances. The depicted scene occurs after Joseph has been purchased by Zulaykha in Egypt. Zulaykha, wishing to show him off to her friends and acquaintances, invites them to her home where she supplies oranges and knives. When the women see Joseph, they all are so distracted by his divine beauty that they accidentally cut their hands while peeling their oranges, but remain mesmerized by his appearance. The dramatic scene in the center is from the Persian romance of Khusrau and Shirin, in which Farhad, a stonecutter who loved Shirin, threw himself to his death from a mountaintop after hearing news of Shirin’s death, falsely sent to him from his rival Khusrau. The emaciated Majnun is in the lower right corner. Every vignette has been identified with a tiny Persian inscription.- ?-November 1969(Walter Randall Gallery, New York, NY, sold to Ralph Benkaim)November 1969-2013Ralph Benkaim [1914-2001] and Catherine Glynn Benkaim [b. 1946], Beverly Hills, CA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art2013-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Markel, Stephen, Tushara Bindu Gude, and Muzaffar Alam. India's Fabled City: The Art of Courtly Lucknow. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2010. cat. no. 23, pp. 28Mace, Sonya Rhie, Mohsen Ashtiany, Catherine Glynn, Pedro Moura Carvalho, Marcus Fraser, and Ruby Lal. Mughal Paintings: Art and Stories: the Cleveland Museum of Art. London: D Giles Limited, 2016. cat. 92, pp. 86-87
- Art and Stories from Mughal India. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 31-October 23, 2016).India's Fabled City: The Art of Courtly Lucknow. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA (December 12, 2010-February 27, 2011); Musee Guimet, Paris, Frane (April 6-July 11, 2011).
- {{cite web|title=Lovers and beloveds: A composite of scenes from Persian, Urdu, and Sanskrit literature|url=false|author=Chitarman II|year=c. 1735|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2013.345