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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2002.50.3
Title
The Prophet Muhammad’s Ascent to Heaven (painting, verso; text, recto), folio from a manuscript of the Khamsa (Layla and Majnun) by Nizami
Classification
Manuscripts
Work Type
manuscript folio
Date
1584
Places
Creation Place: Middle East, Iran, Shiraz
Period
Safavid period
Culture
Persian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/149491

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Ink, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Dimensions
40.2 x 26.5 cm (15 13/16 x 10 7/16 in.)
framed: 57.5 x 43.5 x 2.9 cm (22 5/8 x 17 1/8 x 1 1/8 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
[Christies, London, 18 October 1994, lot 26]. [Mansour Gallery, London, by 1994 or 1995], sold; to Stanford and Norma Jean Calderwood, Belmont, MA (1994 or 1995 - 2002), gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2002.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art
Accession Year
2002
Object Number
2002.50.3
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
The story of the miraculous night journey of the Prophet Muhammad is based on passages from the Qur'an (17:1, 53:1–18, and 81:19–25), as well as later hadith that describe his travel (isra' ) from “the holy mosque” to “the farthest mosque” as well as his ascent to heaven (mi'raj) and what he experienced there. Paintings of this wondrous event sometimes appear in illustrated manuscripts of Persian epic and romantic poetry, such as the Khamsa of Nizami. Even though they are not directly related to the stories told in these works, Mi'raj chapters appear at the beginning of Makhsan al Asrar and Layla and Majnun, as seen in this manuscript folio.
In this illustration, the Prophet is shown in mid-journey, riding his human-headed steed, Buraq. Rainbow-winged angels hover around him and proffer golden vessels. Among them is archangel Gabriel: holding a banner of green, the color associated with the Prophet, he leads Muhammad on his mystical journey. Although earlier depictions of the Prophet reveal his face, here he is shown veiled, in accord with iconography adopted at the beginning of the Safavid period, in the early 1500s.

Published Catalogue Text: In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art , written 2013
107

The Prophet’s Ascent, from Laylā va Majnūn
Recto: text and illustration
Verso: text
Folio: 40.2 × 26.5 cm (15 13/16 × 10 7/16 in.)
2002.50.3

Published: Christie’s 1994a, lot 26; McWilliams, 2004, 9, fig.12; Raguin and Bangdel 2010, 290, fig. 1.

The story of the miraculous night journey of the Prophet Muhammad is based on passages from the Qurʾan (17:1, 53:1–18, and 81:19–25), as well as later hadith that describe his travel (isrāʾ ) from “the holy mosque” to “the farthest mosque” as well as his ascent to heaven (miʿrāj) and what he experienced there. Paintings of this wondrous event sometimes appear in illustrated manuscripts of Persian epic and romantic poetry, such as the Khamsa of Nizami, even though they are not directly related to the stories told in these works.

In this illustration, the Prophet is shown in mid-journey, riding his human-headed steed, Buraq. Rainbow-winged angels hover around him and proffer golden vessels. Among them is Archangel Gabriel: holding a banner of green, the color associated with the Prophet, he leads Muhammad on his mystical journey. Although earlier depictions of the Prophet reveal his face, here he is shown veiled, in accord with iconography adopted at the beginning of the Safavid period, in the early 1500s.[1]

Mika M. Natif

[1] Gruber 2009a.

Publication History

  • Mary McWilliams, Closely Focused, Intensely Felt: Selections from the Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, brochure, Harvard University Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2004)
  • Virginia Raguin, Dina Bangdel, and F.E. Peters, ed., Pilgrimage and Faith: Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, exh. cat., Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Gallery, College of the Holy Cross and Serindia Publications Inc. (Worcester, MA, 2010), p. 290, fig. 1
  • Mary McWilliams, ed., In Harmony: The Norma Jean Calderwood Collection of Islamic Art, exh. cat., Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2013), pp. 163-165, ill.; p. 245, cat. 107, ill.
  • Christiane Gruber, ed., The Moon: A Voyage through Time, exh. cat., The Aga Khan Museum (Toronto, 2019), pp. 102-103, no. 13
  • Leyli et Majnûn de Jâmi: Illustré par les Miniatures d'Orient, Editions Diane de Selliers (Paris, 2021), pp. 52-53, ill.

Exhibition History

Subjects and Contexts

  • Google Art Project
  • Collection Highlights

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu