
Death and the Miser
1500 · National Gallery of Art, Washington, District of Columbia
Death comes through the door while an angel points to the crucifix and a demon offers one more bag of gold. The man has not chosen.
★ 5.9

Death comes through the door while an angel points to the crucifix and a demon offers one more bag of gold. The man has not chosen.

Zulaykha shuts the last door behind Yusuf, and Bihzad turns the palace into a honeycomb of tile and stairs as taut as the story.

Three panels run from Eden to hell, with a whole naked humanity climbing into giant fruit in between. Nobody has settled what it means.