The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 13, 2025
The Annunciation (folio 15 recto), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier
1602–4
Location: Not on view
Did You Know?
The text states that Mary was only age 13 1/2 when the angel Gabriel came to her.Description
Mary gazes down at the angel Gabriel as he kneels reverently, like a humble messenger, delivering the news that Mary will give birth to the son of God. His multicolored wings are forced within the boundary line of the painting field, visually implying a sense of subordination.Unlike many of the paintings in the Mirror of Holiness, the Annunciation is a familiar subject in European art, but the emphases vary. The Indian version depicts her as a queen, with a crown held above her head and attendants standing by.
- before 1930s–2005An Indian family in Great Britain, whose grandfather brought the manuscript to England in the 1930s or 1940s2005(Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd., London, England, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)2005–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Prince Salim's Life of Christ (Manuscript Rotation) - Gallery 115. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (December 2, 2019-July 1, 2020).Art and Stories from Mughal India. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 31-October 23, 2016).Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 245). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (January 5-April 27, 2015).
- {{cite web|title=The Annunciation (folio 15 recto), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier|url=false|author=|year=1602–4|access-date=13 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2005.145.15.a