The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Zulaykha in her palace and as an elderly woman with Joseph (recto), from a Panj Ganj (Five Treasures) of Abd al- Rahman Jami (Persian, 1414–1492)

Zulaykha in her palace and as an elderly woman with Joseph (recto), from a Panj Ganj (Five Treasures) of Abd al- Rahman Jami (Persian, 1414–1492)

1603–7
(Indian, active early 1600s)
(Iranian, 1430–1520)
Western Afghanistan, Herat (text); Mughal India (paintings)
Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Text area: 17.8 x 9.5 cm (7 x 3 3/4 in.); Page: 31.6 x 20.4 cm (12 7/16 x 8 1/16 in.)
Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection 2013.315.1.a
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Zulaykha is shown four times: twice in the murals, seated in the center, and below when she is much older.

Description

The golden pot of white narcissus flowers at the bottom center of the painting signals that Zulaykha, leaning on her staff to the left, will imminently have her youth and beauty restored. In this Persian retelling of the Old Testament account from the Bible, Zulaykha lusted after Joseph, even though she was already married to Potiphar. Joseph, with the golden halo, resisted her advances until she became a widow and retained his youth, because of his extreme virtue. Above, Zulaykha as a young woman waits for Joseph in her house where murals of them as a happy couple are painted on the walls.
  • before 1923
    Georges Demotte [1877–1923], Paris, France, and New York, NY
    1940s
    French private collection
    October 18, 1994
    (Christie's, London, England, Islamic Art, Indian Miniatures, October 18, 1994 sale, lot 9)
    1994–2013
    Catherine Glynn Benkaim and Ralph Benkaim Collection
    2013-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Mace, Sonya Rhie. Mughal Paintings: Art and Stories: The Cleveland Museum of Art. London: D. Giles Limited, 2016. Reproduced: cat. no. 39, Figures 2.7, 2.8, and 2.11; Mentioned: pp. 84-6, 89-90, 324-26.
  • Nature Supernatural (Indian Painting rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 22, 2023-March 3, 2024).
    Art and Stories from Mughal India. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 31-October 23, 2016).
  • {{cite web|title=Zulaykha in her palace and as an elderly woman with Joseph (recto), from a Panj Ganj (Five Treasures) of Abd al- Rahman Jami (Persian, 1414–1492)|url=false|author=Mushfiq, Sultan 'Ali al-Mashadi|year=1603–7|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2013.315.1.a