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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original file
About This Work
This manuscript illumination features a centrally placed, naked Adam with a golden nimbus radiating light from his head, seated in a pose of calm receptivity. Surrounding him on a field of light blue patterned with small floral motifs are several angels with large, multi-colored wings, all bowing in gestures of submission and honor. The figures are rendered in a classic Persian style, with delicate facial features and vibrant, opaque colors including deep reds, golds, and blues. The upper portion of the composition features rolling, stylized hills in varied earth tones, set against a golden horizon line.
This scene illustrates the Quranic account (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:34) and Islamic theological tradition regarding the superiority of Adam, whom God commanded the angels to honor. It originates from the 'Majalis al-'Ushshaq' (Assemblies of the Lovers), a collection of biographical sketches of Sufi saints and historical figures.
Inscriptions(Persian)
روى تو سوی ما و روی تو سوی تو ملک را نسبت به آن میدهد که کل قالبش از خاک سر کوی تو بود فسجد الملائکه کلهم اجمعین الا ابلیس که از روی عجب و پندار استکبار نمود و در زمین نیفیا سجود همه مرغان فلک در این حسن آمده سر بربند که آید به شا که راز دست غیب آن بر سینه نا محرم
Translation
Your face is towards us and our face is towards you; the angel gives relation to that / For the whole of his mold was from the soil of your lane; 'And the angels prostrated, all of them together, except / Iblis, who, out of vanity and pride, showed arrogance and did not prostrate upon the earth' / All the birds of the heaven have come in this beauty, heads bound / For there comes to the branch a secret that the hand of the Unseen [bestows] upon the bosom of the forbidden.
Connected Texts
Majalis al-'Ushshaq
This illumination is a specific folio from the manuscript collection 'Majalis al-'Ushshaq' (BL Or. 11837).
Quran (Surah Al-Baqarah)
The iconography directly depicts the theological narrative of the angels bowing before Adam.
Collections
Provenance & Source
Object
TechniqueAI
manuscript illumination
SupportAI
parchment
PeriodAI
Safavid
CultureAI
Persian
GenreAI
manuscript-illumination
Digital Source
Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Original Resolution
462 × 768 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview on April 20, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.