Artwork

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

Page from the Panj Ganj (Five Treasures) of Abd al-Rahman Jami (Persian, 1414–1492), with two Persian masnavis (narrative poems): Yusuf va Zulaykha (Joseph and Zulaykha) and Subhat al-abrar (Rosary of the Righteous) is an unspecified painting by the Mughal Painting artist Mushfiq. It dates from 1564 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. This illuminated album leaf presents two Persian masnavis: a narrative of Joseph and Zulaykha and a didactic poem urging frequent smiles.

About this work

The words were written in Herat (now Afghanistan) around 1500, then sent to India where Mushfiq added the paintings and gold work sixty years later.

You see a page of Persian poetry framed by gold borders and tiny painted scenes. The words curve around the edges, telling a story of Joseph and his brothers.

This book was made in two places, decades apart. The words were written in Herat (now Afghanistan) around 1500, then sent to India where Mushfiq added the paintings and gold work sixty years later. It’s like a time capsule—two cultures, two moments, one page.

For more pages like this, look up northern India, Mughal, early 17th century, Indian art.

Overview

This illuminated album leaf presents two Persian masnavis: a narrative of Joseph and Zulaykha and a didactic poem urging frequent smiles. The page is divided by a decorative gold border containing a diagonal verse and a central block of text in two columns, each rendered in elegant calligraphy.

Subject & Meaning

The border poem recounts a youthful episode of Joseph, where his brothers propose a journey with their father Jacob, ostensibly to teach him the countryside, while secretly plotting his death. The central verses function as moral counsel, comparing the pleasantness of a smile to the sweetness of sugar.

Technique & Style

The manuscript combines Herat‑originated calligraphic script with later Mughal embellishments. Gold leaf outlines the page, and miniature scenes are painted in vibrant pigments within the border, reflecting the exuberant decorative program typical of early 17th‑century Indian workshops.

History & Provenance

Originally written in Herat around 1500, the text was later sent to the Mughal court, where the vizier Abd al‑Rahim, a prominent minister under Akbar and Jahangir, acquired the volume. Approximately sixty years after its creation, the Indian artist Mushfiq completed the illumination, adding the painted borders and full‑page scenes.

Context

The work exemplifies the cross‑cultural exchange between Persian literary traditions and Mughal artistic patronage. It illustrates how elite collectors like Abd al‑Rahim commissioned Indian artisans to finish Persian manuscripts, merging Central Asian textual heritage with the opulent visual language of the Mughal empire.

Artist & collection

Artist

Mushfiq

Mushfiq was a sub-imperial Mughal painter who worked in the atelier of Abd-ur-Rahim Khan-i-Khanan (also called Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana), commander-in-chief of the Mughal army in the late 16th/early 17th century.