John the Baptist recognizes Christ by the appearance of a dove (folio 50 verso), from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier
Unknown Artist
1602–4
Medium
Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions
image: 22.5 × 10.9 cm · sheet: 26.3 × 15.7 cm
Classification
Manuscript
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
2005.145.50.b
About this artwork
Wearing the black robes and cap of a Jesuit priest, John the Baptist sits in a well-appointed Mughal-style courtyard. According to Father Jerome’s text, John recognizes Jesus by the dove who sits on his head. Possibly Father Jerome intended to relate the Gospel account that describes the dove of the Holy Spirit as hovering in the air above his head. The artist’s own reactions to this passage may be reflected in the expressions and gestures of the onlookers, who seem incredulous and bemused at th...