Two of the Bearers of the Throne: The Bull and the Angel

The painting features two figures set against a plain parchment background. On the right, an angel with a round, pale face, almond-shaped eyes, and dark hair wears a pointed green cap, a patterned orange tunic with gold accents, and wide, flowing sleeves. Large, outstretched red wings emerge from the angel's shoulders, while their hands are raised in a gesture of supplication or support. To the left stands a stout, stylized red bull with simplified musculature, a dark tail, and small horns, facing toward the angel. The figures are framed within a rectangular border, with dense lines of black Arabic calligraphy filling the upper portion of the page.

This image illustrates a passage from 'Aja'ib al-Makhluqat wa Ghara'ib al-Mawjudat' (The Wonders of Creation), a foundational Islamic cosmographical text describing the hierarchy of the celestial realms and the bearers of the divine throne (Hamalat al-'Arsh). The inclusion of the bull and the angel reflects the cosmological traditions that link the four bearers of the throne to the four living creatures described in the Quran and later prophetic traditions.