The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 15, 2025

Page from a Panj Ganj (Five Treasures) of Abd al-Rahman Jami (Persian, 1414–1492), with two Persian masnavis: Yusuf va Zulaykha (Joseph and Zulaykha) and Subhat al-abrar (Rosary of the Righteous) (verso)

1520–1607

Mushfiq

(Indian, active early 1600s)

and others

(Indian)
Northern India, Mughal, early 17th century
Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Page: 30.2 x 18.1 cm (11 7/8 x 7 1/8 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 2013.315.2.b
Location: Not on view

Description

This page is from a prized manuscript owned by one of the most respected statesmen of the imperial Mughal court, Abd al-Rahim. He served as the Khan Khanan, or vizier, the trusted minister under both Akbar and Jahangir. Abd al-Rahim was an avid book collector and patron of the arts. He acquired this book of five extended narrative poems, which included the story told in rhyme of the romance between Joseph and the Egyptian lady Zulaykha, about 80 years after its completion. The book’s illumination had not been finished, so Abd al-Rahim commissioned the exuberant decor of the borders and insets along with fullpage paintings that illustrate key scenes in the text.
  • 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
  • Art and Stories from Mughal India. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 31-October 23, 2016).
  • {{cite web|title=Page from a Panj Ganj (Five Treasures) of Abd al-Rahman Jami (Persian, 1414–1492), with two Persian masnavis: Yusuf va Zulaykha (Joseph and Zulaykha) and Subhat al-abrar (Rosary of the Righteous) (verso)|url=false|author=Mushfiq, others|year=1520–1607|access-date=15 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2013.315.2.b