The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 14, 2025
Mary and Joseph Travel to Bethlehem (folio 24 verso), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier
1602–4
Location: Not on view
Did You Know?
Wearing a green coat, Joseph carries a sword over his shoulder, suggesting that he is ready to face any potential trouble.Description
Joseph leads the heavily pregnant Mary riding on a camel. In the text Father Jerome wrote that Mary rode a “pack beast,” so the Indian artist opted to portray her on a camel. An ox in the foreground carries their belongings, and the bent trees indicate the journey’s harsh conditions. They are on the way to Bethlehem, the city of King David, from whom Joseph was descended, in order to register for a census. Father Jerome often emphasized the royal lineage of Jesus, apparently in an effort to impress the Mughals.- 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).Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 245). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (January 5-April 27, 2015)
- {{cite web|title=Mary and Joseph Travel to Bethlehem (folio 24 verso), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier|url=false|author=|year=1602–4|access-date=14 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2005.145.24.b