A Gathering of Dervishes

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 693

This refined painting has a slightly subversive subject, that of a gathering of mystics many of whom appear to be under the influence of intoxicating substances. One group on the right prepares the mixture in a sieve, while its effects cause the dervishes to swoon, slouch or sprawl. The painting blurs the borders between religious ecstasy and dissolution, in an early development of a popular genre that was to take hold in painting for the duration of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

A Gathering of Dervishes, Opaque color and gold on paper

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.