Description
When Jesus arrived at Mount Tabor, he left his followers at the foot of the hill and spent the entire night in prayer. This is the only night scene in the manuscript, and the artist has used glowing colors and gold paint to dot the night sky with stars. Seven of the 12 apostles mill around the foreground; some converse with animated gestures, possibly debating the contents of a text. At dawn Jesus will have summoned the 12, named them his apostles and given them the power to drive out unclean spirits and heal the sick and infirm.
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 on Mount Tabor, near Nazareth where he Chooses Twelve of his Followers and Calls them Apostles (folio 87 verso), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier
1602–04
Accession Number
2005.145.87.b
Medium
Gum tempera, ink, color, and gold on paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 26.2 x 15.7 cm (10 5/16 x 6 3/16 in.); Image: 20 x 10.9 cm (7 7/8 x 4 5/16 in.)
Classification
Manuscript
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund