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The Ascension of the Prophet Muhammad, folio from a Khamsa (“Quintet”) of Nizami
The Ascension of the Prophet Muhammad, folio from a Khamsa (“Quintet”) of Nizami
Public domain: Image courtesy of the Worcester Art Museum.

The Ascension of the Prophet Muhammad, folio from a Khamsa (“Quintet”) of Nizami

Culture
Date1550s
Creation PlacePossibly Shiraz, Iran
MediumWatercolor, gold metallic paint, and ink on paper
Dimensionsimage: 18.5 × 9.8 cm (7 5/16 × 3 7/8 in.)
sheet: 27.8 × 17.8 cm (10 15/16 × 7 in.)
ClassificationsNon-Western Miniatures
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1918.17
DescriptionIllustration covers the entire folio. Features a blue background beneath gold clouds, and several winged figures surround the Prophet Muhammad, with his face covered. Persian script occupies two boxes to the left and right of Prophet Muhammad.
Label TextAs time progressed, representational images comprised a more significant portion of the folio than the text. No longer in horizontal bands, pictorial compositions burst through the edges of the paper while the text at times was bound in smaller cartouches, as seen in this painting depicting the Prophet Muhammad’s nighttime journey from the Mosque al-Aqsa to the heavens. However, the depiction of the prophet, even in a non-religious text like Nizami’s book of epic poems, generated tension among artists and viewers alike. Islam prohibits the worship of God in figural images; thus, having an image of the prophet was problematic even for a contemporary audience. To discourage idolatry, artists would often cover the face of the prophet with a cloth, like in this painting.Provenance(Brooks Reed Gallery, Boston, MA); 1918, purchased by the Worcester Art Museum.
On View
Not on view