Description
Jesus sits under a golden lamp with a cloth in his
hand, while an artist sits before him, struggling to
paint his portrait. The artist had been sent by his
king, Abgar of Edessa, who was ill and believed
the portrait would cure him. Jesus pitied the artist
and pressed his face to the cloth to create a perfect
impression. The miraculous cloth became known as
the Mandylion and was venerated by Christians as
a relic of Christ.
The similarity between the names Abgar and Akbar suggests that Father Jerome included this noncanonical story in his biography of Jesus to resonate with and inspire the Mughal emperor.
The similarity between the names Abgar and Akbar suggests that Father Jerome included this noncanonical story in his biography of Jesus to resonate with and inspire the Mughal emperor.
Provenance
An Indian family in Great Britain, whose grandfather brought the manuscript to England in the 1930s or 1940s (before 1930s–2005); (Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd., London, England, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (2005); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (2005–)
Jesus being portrayed by King Abgar’s painter (folio 143 recto), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier
1602–4
Accession Number
2005.145.143.a
Medium
Gum tempera, ink, color, and gold on paper
Dimensions
Page: 26.2 x 15.6 cm (10 5/16 x 6 1/8 in.)
Classification
Manuscript
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund
