This item has been added to the Database within the Explore Islamic Art Collections project. Information is available in: English, Arabic.

Name of Object:

Miniature 'Mi'raj (the Miraculous Ascension) of Prophet Muhammad'

Location:

Kyiv, Ukraine

Holding Museum:

The Khanenko Museum

About The Khanenko Museum, Kyiv

Date of Object:

AD 16th century

Museum Inventory Number:

436 ГРВ

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Opaque watercolour and gold on paper

Dimensions:

Length: 33.5cm, Width: 20.5cm

Period / Dynasty:

Safavid

Provenance:

Shiraz, Iran (?)

Description:

Mi'raj is the scene of the Ascension of the Great Prophet Muhammad to Heaven to the throne of Allah. The iconography of the scene has become established in the Iranian painting tradition since the late AD 15th century. The composition of Mi'raj, together with the poetic dedication of God and His Prophet, traditionally opened manuscripts of historical, biographical and poetic works of classical Persian literature. In the centre of the scene we see Prophet Muhammad riding the fantastic animal Boraq, a mare with a woman’s head. Muhammad is traditionally depicted with a large flaming halo around his head. His face is covered by a veil, probably added to the picture later. In front of the Prophet, we see the Archangel Jabriel showing the way. Above the Archangel there is a lion, the heavenly personification of Ali, the first righteous Imam of the Shiites. Angels with gifts fly around the Prophet. Between the figures against the blue sky, golden "Chinese" clouds abound. The miniature subject combines two important Islamic legends. The Qur'anic Al-Isra (Night Journey, Surah 17) recounts the Prophet's magical night flight from Mecca to Jerusalem. The Al-Mi'raj (Staircase), narrated in hadiths, is the story of Muhammad's miraculous ascent to Heaven to the throne of God.

How date and origin were established:

Stylistic analysis by V. Krachkovskaya (publication, 1926, origin and date).

How Object was obtained:

Purchased by Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko presumably in Paris from collectors the Kalebdjian brothers. Donated by Varvara Khanenko in 1918, nationalised by Bolshevik regime in 1919.

How provenance was established:

Publication of Vera Krachkovskaya (1927): the Khanenkos' collection.

Selected bibliography:

Amir-Moezzi, Mohammad Ali (dir), Le voyage initiatique en terre d'Islam: Ascensions célestes et itinéraires spirituels, Louvain: Cerf, 1996.
Bilenko, H. and Rudyck (Rudyk), H., Oriental Collection, guidebook, Kyiv: The Khanenko Museum, 2005.
Gruber, Christiane and Colby, Frederick (eds), The Prophet’s Ascension: Cross-Cultural Encounters with the Islamic Mi‘raj Tales, Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2010.
Krachkovskaya, V., "Musulmsnskoye iskusstvo v sobranii Khanenko (Muslim Art from the Khanenkos' Collection)", in Bartold V.V. (ed), Zapyski Kollegii Vostokovedov (Notes of the College of Orientalists) at Asian Museum of USSR Academy of Sciences, Vol II, Leningrad: USSR Academy of Sciences, 1927.
Rudyk, H. (ed), Charisma of Iran. Persian art of 12th–19th centuries from museum collections of Ukraine, Kyiv: The Khanenko Museum, 2017.

Citation of this web page:

Antonina Makarevych, Hanna Rudyk "Miniature 'Mi'raj (the Miraculous Ascension) of Prophet Muhammad'" in Explore Islamic Art Collections. Museum With No Frontiers, 2026.
https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;EPM;uc;Mus21;4;en

Prepared by: Antonina Makarevych, Hanna Rudyk
Copyedited by: Janice MedinaJanice Medina

Janice Medina is an artist and educator based in Upstate New York. She studied interior design at Syracuse University and obtained her M.S. in Building Conservation in 2008 (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) and Master of Fine Arts in 2019 (University at Albany).

Janice is a former participant in the US/ICOMOS International Exchange Program and she has taught courses in the history of design and historic preservation. Her artwork is influenced by her experiences in historic preservation, as well as by building materials and the natural environment.

Janice has participated as a copy-editor with Museum With No Frontiers since 2019. In this role she has had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects including Discover Islamic Art, Discover Baroque Art and Discover Glass Art.

MWNF Working Number: UC1 04