Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

The Metropolitan Museum of Art


    • The Night Journey of Muhammad on His Steed, Buraq; Leaf from a copy of the Bustan of Sacdi, dated 1514
    Painter: Unknown; Calligrapher: Sultan Muhammad Nur
    Bukhara, Uzbekistan
    Colors, ink, and gold on paper

    7.5 x 5 in. (19 x 12.7 cm)
    Purchase, Louis V. Bell Fund and The Vincent Astor Foundation Gift, 1974 (1974.294.2)

    The heavenly journey of the Prophet forms a centerpiece of Muslim piety. Persian poets from the thirteenth century onward prefaced their epics with a colorful description of the micraj, the heavenly journey that brought the Prophet into the immediate presence of God. This miniature is particularly interesting as the Prophet is shown with his face unveiled, riding on the mysterious mount Buraq. Later pictures of Muhammad generally show him with a veil covering his face, and in more recent times even his entire body is usually symbolized by a white cloud or a rose.

    Related

    Maps

    Timelines

    Works of Art by Department


    This work has been published in the Museum's Bulletin or Journal. These articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship.
  • Ettinghausen, Richard, and Marie Lukens Swietochowski. "Islamic Painting." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 36, no. 2 (Autumn, 1978).
    JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs
    • "Director's Note" PDF
    • "Introduction" PDF
    • MoveSeparatorPrint
    Close
  • The Night Journey of Muhammad on His Steed, Buraq; Leaf from a copy of the Bustan of Sacdi, dated 1514
    Painter: Unknown; Calligrapher: Sultan Muhammad Nur
    Bukhara, Uzbekistan
    Colors, ink, and gold on paper

    7.5 x 5 in. (19 x 12.7 cm)
    Purchase, Louis V. Bell Fund and The Vincent Astor Foundation Gift, 1974 (1974.294.2)