Artwork Page for Jesus being portrayed by King Abgar’s painter (folio 143 recto), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier

Details / Information for Jesus being portrayed by King Abgar’s painter (folio 143 recto), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier

Jesus being portrayed by King Abgar’s painter (folio 143 recto), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier

1602–4

Mughal India, Allahabad, made for Prince Salim

(1569–1627)
View all records in artwork set
Medium
Gum tempera, ink, color, and gold on paper
Measurements
Page: 26.2 x 15.6 cm (10 5/16 x 6 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 2005.145.143.a
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

Artist’s pigments are arranged in shells next to the brass cup for water.

Description

Jesus sits under a golden lamp with a cloth in his hand, while an artist sits before him, struggling to paint his portrait. The artist had been sent by his king, Abgar of Edessa, who was ill and believed the portrait would cure him. Jesus pitied the artist and pressed his face to the cloth to create a perfect impression. The miraculous cloth became known as the Mandylion and was venerated by Christians as a relic of Christ.

The similarity between the names Abgar and Akbar suggests that Father Jerome included this noncanonical story in his biography of Jesus to resonate with and inspire the Mughal emperor.

Jesus being portrayed by King Abgar’s painter (folio 143 recto), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier

1602–4

Mughal India, Allahabad, made for Prince Salim (1569–1627)

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

    Contact Us

    The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

    To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

    All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.