Artwork

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) is an unspecified painting by the Baroque artist Mushfiq. It dates from 1605 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The diptych presents two moments from the Persian narrative of Zulaykha and Joseph.

About this work

Overview

The diptych presents two moments from the Persian narrative of Zulaykha and Joseph. In the lower panel an aged Zulaykha leans on a staff beside a golden vessel of white narcissus, while the upper panel shows her youthful self awaiting Joseph in a richly decorated interior.

Subject & Meaning

The work visualises the legendary love‑story in which Zulaykha, despite being married to Potiphar, becomes enamoured of Joseph. Joseph’s steadfast virtue, indicated by his golden halo, leads him to reject her, and only after her husband’s death does she regain her beauty, symbolised by the narcissus pot.

Technique & Style

Executed in the refined miniature tradition of Mughal‑influenced Persian painting, the composition employs delicate brushwork and a luminous palette. The juxtaposition of two temporal states—youth and old age—relies on subtle shifts in colour and line to convey the passage of time.

History & Provenance

The piece originates from a Panj Ganj (Five Treasures) manuscript compiled by the 15th‑century Persian poet‑scholar Abd al‑Rahman Jami (1414–1492). It was likely produced in a courtly workshop that catered to patrons interested in literary illustrations.

Context

Zulaykha’s tale adapts the biblical account of Joseph into a Persian moral framework, emphasizing themes of chastity, patience, and the redemptive power of virtue. Such narratives were popular in Persian literary circles and often served as didactic exempla.

Legacy

The painting exemplifies the cross‑cultural exchange between Persian manuscript art and the visual vocabulary of Mughal India, illustrating how biblical stories were re‑interpreted within Islamic artistic traditions.

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.