Yusuf and Zulaykha (recto); Text Page, Persian Verses (verso) (c. 1556–65): Art, History and Details

Yusuf and Zulaykha (recto); Text Page, Persian Verses (verso) (c. 1556–65) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

The painting quotes verses from the Haft Awrang (Seven Thrones) by the Persian poet Jami, a classic of Persian literature, here illustrating the romance of Yusuf and Zulaykha. Originally rooted in the Qur’an (Surah Yusuf, chapter 12), the Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) encounters the wife of the Egyptian governor, traditionally identified as Zulaykha, both seated opposite each other on the right, framed by architecture.

Object facts

• Title: Yusuf and Zulaykha (recto); Text Page, Persian Verses (verso)
• Date: c. 1556–65
• Culture: Iran, Shiraz or Mashhad, Safavid period (1501–1722)
• Type: Manuscript
• Technique: Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
• Dimensions: Sheet: 29.8 x 17.3 cm (11 3/4 x 6 13/16 in.); Image: 21.3 x 15.3 cm (8 3/8 x 6 in.)
• Collection: Islamic Art
• Department: Islamic Art
• Accession number: 1947.501

A detail from the museum

Beyond the fence, a man is shoveling.

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Neils, Jenifer. “The Twain Shall Meet.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 72, no. 6 (1985): 326–359.

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.