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The dream of Zulaykha, from the Amber Album
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
In Islamic texts, as in the Hebrew and Christian Old Testament traditions, Zulaykha is the unnamed wife of Potiphar, a wealthy Egyptian. This scene is from a popular Persian poem that recounts the story of Joseph and Zulaykha as a mystical romance, and describes her visionary dreams of a beautiful lover. In this painting we see the luxuriously dressed Zulaykha asleep on a terrace, reclining on ornate pillows as a vision of her love, Joseph, appears before her. He is illuminated by radiant light cast down by angels emerging from the dark night clouds.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineThe dream of Zulaykha, from the Amber Album, c. 1670. India, Mughal, 17th century. Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper; page: 32 x 24.4 cm (12 5/8 x 9 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift in honor of Madeline Neves Clapp; Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon by exchange; Bequest of Louise T. Cooper; Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund; From the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection, 2013.332
