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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)
Mushfiq (Indian, active early 1600s) and Sultan 'Ali al-Mashadi (Iranian, 1430–1520)1603–7
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
The golden pot of white narcissus flowers at the bottom center of the painting signals that Zulaykha, leaning on her staff to the left, will imminently have her youth and beauty restored. In this Persian retelling of the Old Testament account from the Bible, Zulaykha lusted after Joseph, even though she was already married to Potiphar. Joseph, with the golden halo, resisted her advances until she became a widow and retained his youth, because of his extreme virtue. Above, Zulaykha as a young woman waits for Joseph in her house where murals of them as a happy couple are painted on the walls.
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- Title: 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)
- Creator: Mushfiq (Indian, active early 1600s), Sultan 'Ali al-Mashadi (Iranian, 1430–1520)
- Date Created: 1603–7
- Physical Dimensions: 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.)
- Provenance: Georges Demotte [1877–1923], Paris, France, and New York, NY, French private collection, (Christie's, London, England, Islamic Art, Indian Miniatures, October 18, 1994 sale, lot 9), Catherine Glynn Benkaim and Ralph Benkaim Collection, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Type: Painting
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/2013.315.1.a
- Medium: Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
- Inscriptions: [[Upper left of painting, against a red background, in nasta’liq script]] ' amal - i Mushfiq sana 1015 Text on verso
- Fun Fact: Zulaykha is shown four times: twice in the murals, seated in the center, and below when she is much older.
- Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Culture: Western Afghanistan, Herat (text); Mughal India (paintings)
- Credit Line: 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
- Collection: Indian Art - Mughal
- Accession Number: 2013.315.1.a
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