Collection Online as of October 3, 2023

Illuminated page (verso), 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 Khirad-nama-i Iskandari (Alexander’s Book of Wisdom)

1603–7

Part of a set. See all set records

Mushfiq

(Indian, active early 1600s)

Sultan 'Ali al-Mashadi

(Iranian, 1430–1520)

India, Mughal patronage in Deccan style, early 17th century

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.b

Location

not on view

Description

This section of text from Jami’s poem of Joseph and Zulaykha, written diagonally in the margins, describes the beauties of Zulaykha’s house, in which she intends to seduce Joseph. It includes the following verses: Jeweled lamps on the walls were hung / And odorous herbs were beneath them flung. / She gathered together all things most fair, / And unrolled the carpet of pleasure there. / But amid the charms of the sumptuous hall / She longed only for Joseph, far dearer than all. / A heavenly palace is dark and dim / To a lover whose darling is far from him.

The longing of Zulaykha for Joseph metaphorically describes an imperfect devotee’s mystical love for God. With patience, forbearance, and virtuous actions, unification with the divine will eventually occur, even for the most flawed among us. On this page also begins the Khirad-nama-i Iskandari (Alexander’s Book of Wisdom), another of the five narrative poems that make up the Panj Ganj.

Inscriptions

Inscription Translation

[[Persian title in gold, nasta’liq script]] The summary of Joseph—peace be upon him—by Zulaykha and her seeking union, and Joseph—peace be upon him—rebutting

Inscription Translation

[[Persian text from Yusuf and Zulaykha written diagonally in the margin, nasta’liq script]] Under foot, overhead, and around, / An emblem of two happy lovers was found. / The love of Zulaykha still grew meanwhile, / And rose each day with the rising pile. / As the idol-house met her eager gaze, / With fiercer fire was her heart ablaze. / There thrills a new pang through the lover’s breast / When he looks on the picture of her he loves best, / The fair line of her features his woes recall, / And he sinks in his sorrow love’s helpless thrall. // Zulaykha opened her hand and decked / The finished work of the Architect. / Tissue of gold on the floor was strown, / Amid its beauty enhanced with a golden throne. / Jeweled lamps on the walls were hung; / And odorous herbs were beneath them flung. / She gathered together all things most fair, / And unrolled the carpet of pleasure there. / But amid the charms of the sumptuous hall / She longed only for Joseph, far dearer than all. / A heavenly palace is dark and dim / To a lover whose darling is far from him. // She would summon Joseph, once more they would meet: / She would set him high on a princely seat, / She would woo his beauty and win success / Wither her tender guile and her soft caress, / Or feed on his lips and beguile her care / With the tangled locks of the rebel’s hair. / But to conquer his heart she would add a grace / To her peerless form and her perfect face. / Her beauty needed no art, and yet / A current stamp by its aid was set. / The rose of the garden is fair to view, / But lovelier still with her pearls of dew.

Inscription

[[Persian title in gold, nasta’liq script]] Khirad-nama-I Iskandari

Inscription Translation

Alexander’s Book of Wisdom

Inscription Translation

[[Persian text from the Khirad-nama-I Iskandari in vertical columns, nasta’liq script]] O God! Divine perfection is yours, / The beauteous countenance of universal rule is yours. / Your beauty is beyond the scope of perception, / Your perfection exceeds the bounds of creation. / I cannot address you as high or low / For to such things I do not see you bound. / For not only do you entail high and low: / You are the life-donor of what there is and all existence. / You are all there is and other than you nothing is: / On that point there’s not a shred of doubt. / Since you are beyond intellect, imagination, and analogy / How can I know you? A mere clueless I. / Since you are both hidden and in the open / You are whatever the eye of my soul happens to fall on. / The word is nothing but a simple book, Across it your skillful pen draws the letters / Wisdom is the first word on that book / Setting the preface to the book on the right course.

Sultan 'Ali al-Mashadi

Persian calligrapher, active ca. 1453-1519, died 1520

Provenance

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

Citations

Mace, Sonya Rhie. Mughal Paintings: Art and Stories: The Cleveland Museum of Art. London: D. Giles Limited, 2016. Reproduced: cat. no. 39; Mentioned: pp. 324-26.

Exhibition history

Art and Stories from Mughal India. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 31-October 23, 2016).