Angels Bring Food To Jesus In The Wilderness
| Support Type: | Paper |
| Paint Type: | Tempera |
| Current Location: | Cleveland Museum of Art |
| Location History: | It was made for Prince Salim in Allahabad. Later an Indian family in Great Britain, whose grandfather bought the manuscript to England around 1930s to 40s. In 2005 Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd sold it to The Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is currently located. |
The painting, an incident of Christian lore as related to Muhammad Sharif of the Mughal kingdom of India, not only depicts an episode of the Bible, it also functions as an intersection of Christianity and Mughal painting. With forty days in the desert over, having resisted temptation, we see Jesus offered succor by five angels dispatched from heaven; his seated pose is a picture of spiritual strength; the downward movement of angels through billowed clouds emphasizes how this perseverance in the end meets divine favor; The Indians interpretation of a European story is especially vivid in the following: for the Indians in this piece interpret the story as: Jesus is seated an indian ways, Landscape of the painting is designed an Indian way, the divine guests are dressed an Indian way in the Indian style miniature painting; breads, melons, vegetable, rise, and curry rice is displayed, made this supernatural to familiar to be understood by indians who would see it. The point that i felt can be interpreted to some people is this story is a suggestion that perseverance is an example to transcending every kind of separation caused by race, culture, religion which Jesus was tempted in hardship like human' and this hardship is compensated in grace.