During the sixteenth-century, Jami's Haft awrang (Seven thrones), was one of the most popular and frequently illustrated texts in Iran. Among the four didactic poems and three romances, Yusuf u Zulaykha stands out for its rich poetic language that lends itself to both secular and mystical interpretations.
The story of Yusuf and his jealous brothers is known from the Qur'an, the Bible, and a number of Persian accounts. In Jami's version, three days after Yusuf was thrown into the well by his brothers, a traveling caravan sets up camp nearby. When one of the men lowers a bucket into the well, the angel Gabriel advises Yusuf to climb into it and "once again fill the sky with light."
Instead of centering the illustration on Yusuf's confinement, the artist has relegated the scene to the side and focused the composition on the bustling life of the caravan, which literally spills out into the margins. Its visual prominence far transcends Jami's description and can be interpreted as the artist's attempt to create an effective foil to Yusuf's physical and spiritual isolation in his constant struggle toward union with God.
Provenance:
To 1946
Hagop Kevorkian (1872-1962), New York. [1]
From 1946
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Hagop Kevorkian, New York. [2]
Notes:
[1] Object file, undated folder sheet note. See also, Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920, Collections Management Office.
[2] See note 1.
Collection:
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History:
Love and Yearning: Mystical and Moral Themes in Persian Painting (August 30, 2003 to February 22, 2004)
The Seven Thrones of Jami: A Princely Manuscript from Iran (June 28, 1997 to March 29, 1998)
Exhibition of Persian Art (April to May 1940)
Untitled Exhibition, Institute of Fine Arts, Detroit, 1930 (1930)
