From the Islamic World

 My visit to the Cleveland Museum continues with the gallery of Islamic art...

Upon entering the gallery, you see this beautiful prayer niche or "mihrab" from Isfahan, Iran.  A "mihrab" is the focal point of a mosque and faces in the direction of Mecca.  The Muslim religion prohibits the making of graven images, so the ceramic mosaic decoration is of geometric designs, plants and calligraphy of verses from the Koran.

As you can see here, the prohibition against graven images was not always enforced.  This portion of a balustrade from the balcony of an Iranian home shows lions attacking bulls.  It dates from between 1256 and 1353.  At that time Iran was a part of the Mongol Empire.

This bowl with gazelles and phoenixes also comes from the Mongol period of Iran.

This tombstone from 12th century Iran is adorned with verses from the Koran.

This fragment of a 14th century silk wall hanging comes from the Alhambra Palace in Granada, the last stronghold of the Muslim Moors in Spain.

Also from the Alhambra Palace are these glazed ceramic wall tiles.

One entire room of the Islamic gallery is devoted to something one would not expect... pages from an illustrated book on the life of Jesus.

Jerome Javier was a Spanish Jesuit priest who spent seventeen years in India at the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar.  He tried in vain to convert the Muslim ruler to Christianity.  He wrote in Persian an account of the life of Christ.  Akbar's son, Prince Salim commissioned illustrated copies, each one written and painted by hand by the artists of his court.  

The Cleveland Museum has the most complete surviving copy of the book, including twenty four of its twenty eight paintings.  These 17th century paintings offer an interesting perspective of the life of Jesus as interpreted by Muslim artists.

To the right, Mary and Joseph journey to Bethlehem.

To the left, the artist shows them finding lodging in an abandoned ruin.  Mary cleans the place with a peacock feather duster.

The three Magi follow the star to Bethlehem.

Angels feed Jesus in the wilderness.

The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem

On my next visit to the museum I will continue my journey through the history of art.