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The Entry into Jerusalem (folio 156 recto), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Jesus rides astride a female donkey, as specified in the text, and he greets a group of four men, two of whom seem to welcome him with hands extended. He follows the road to the gates of Jerusalem, which appear in the upper left corner. Father Jerome devoted only three short lines to this episode, so perhaps its selection for illustration is connected to an old and popular Islamic saying: “If Jesus’s donkey is taken to Mecca, when it comes back it will still be a donkey.”
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineThe Entry into Jerusalem (folio 156 recto), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier, 1602–4. Mughal India, Allahabad, made for Prince Salim (1569–1627). Gum tempera, ink, color, and gold on paper; sheet: 26.2 x 15.6 cm (10 5/16 x 6 1/8 in.); image: 19.6 x 9.8 cm (7 11/16 x 3 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 2005.145.156.a