Mary and Joseph Travel to Bethlehem (folio 24 verso), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier (1602–4): Art, History and Details

Mary and Joseph Travel to Bethlehem (folio 24 verso), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier (1602–4) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Joseph leads the heavily pregnant Mary riding on a camel. In the text Father Jerome wrote that Mary rode a “pack beast,” so the Indian artist opted to portray her on a camel. An ox in the foreground carries their belongings, and the bent trees indicate the journey’s harsh conditions. They are on the way to Bethlehem, the city of King David, from whom Joseph was descended, in order to register for a census. Father Jerome often emphasized the royal lineage of Jesus, apparently in an effort to impress the Mughals.

Object facts

• Title: Mary and Joseph Travel to Bethlehem (folio 24 verso), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier
• Date: 1602–4
• Culture: Mughal India, Allahabad, made for Prince Salim (1569–1627)
• Type: Manuscript
• Technique: Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
• Dimensions: Page: 26.3 x 15.6 cm (10 3/8 x 6 1/8 in.)
• Collection: Indian Art
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 2005.145.24.b

A detail from the museum

Wearing a green coat, Joseph carries a sword over his shoulder, suggesting that he is ready to face any potential trouble.

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.