The goldsmith and the carpenter inform the king of a dream in which the golden images plan to desert the city for lack of worshippers, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Third Night
Unknown Artist
c. 1560
Medium
gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions
20.3 × 14 cm · painting only: 16.5 × 10.4 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry
Accession Number
1962.279.20.a
About this artwork
In this story, a goldsmith and a carpenter plan to steal a city’s idols by convincing the king that they have left on their own. They appear before the king, who addresses them from beneath a parasol in the lower register. The two golden idols sit in a shrine in the upper register.