Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index



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  • Title: Yusuf Fleeing from Zuleykhan/Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife
  • Creator: Bihzad, Kamal al-Din, miniature painter
  • Description: Zuleykhan, the wife of a chief of Misr, becomes infatuated with Yusuf, the chief’s personal attendant. They became more intimate until Yusuf remembers that God can see everything. He refuses Zuleykhan and as he leaves the room, she catches him by the garment, tearing a piece of it. She then produces the torn cloth as evidence to her husband and accuses Yusuf of rape. This miniature was painted in Iran.
  • Source: Wikimedia Commons
  • Rights: Public domain
  • Subject (See Also): Islam Joseph (Biblical Figure) Potiphar’s Wife Saadi, Persian Author Sexuality Zulaykha (Qur'anic Figure)
  • Geographic Area: Eastern Mediterranean
  • Century: 15
  • Date: 1488
  • Related Work: Saadi, Bustan [The Fruit Orchard]
  • Current Location: Cairo, Egyptian National Library, Adab Fârsi 908, fol. 3v
  • Original Location:
  • Artistic Type (Category): Digital images; Manuscript Immuminations
  • Artistic Type (Material/Technique): Paper; Watercolor; Gold
  • Donor: Sultan Husayn Bayqara
  • Height/Width/Length(cm): 30.5 cm/21.6 cm/
  • Inscription:
  • Related Resources: