Women's Worlds in Qajar Iran

Women's Worlds in Qajar Iran

Jami's Yusuf and Zulaykha, [1853]

Jami's Yusuf and Zulaykha, [1853]

Item Details

  • Date 1853
  • Notes

    Image from MS. 1534, p. 6 (Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary). Item information based on source data from CIJOH. “This [illumination] shows the meraj or ascension of the Prophet Muhammad to the Divine Throne. The hybrid mount is Boraq, while the angels above are probably Gabriel and Michael. Two other angels, also part of the entourage, are holding some small fans or brooms. Boraq looks even more phantasmagoric than usual, adorned with a Qajar style head and hat, a bird-shaped saddle and an inordinately large tail. The Prophet himself is absent from the picture suggesting, perhaps, that he is already in the Divine Presence where none could accompany him. This is a very famous and popular topic of Muslim iconography. Its best illustration is, without a doubt, the miniature attributed to Soltan Mohammad in the Khamseh of Nezami made between 1539 and 1543 at the court of the Safavid Shah Tahmasb.” (Moreen, Vera Basch. Miniature Paintings in Judaeo-Persian Manuscripts Cincinnati, 1985, 23.)

  • Dimensions 26.5 x 16.5 cm
  • Collections Center for Iranian Jewish Oral History
  • Repository Center for Iranian Jewish Oral History (1191-P-2000)
  • Restrictions Use of collection materials for publication purposes must cite the Center for Iranian Jewish Oral History as the current repository.
  • Accessed 14 February 2012
  • Last Edited 3 September 2013
  • Record no. 1025A165
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