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The place of Jesus’s birth (folio 25 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
Instead of a stable, the artist has interpreted the place of Jesus’s birth as an abandoned ruin. Mary is cleaning it with a peacock-feather whisk, while Joseph negotiates with a man dressed in full Mughal attire at the doorway. The camel is laden with belongings and an Indian-style bed.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineThe place of Jesus’s birth (folio 25 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, and gold on paper; page: 26.3 x 15.6 cm (10 3/8 x 6 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 2005.145.25.b
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