The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Twenty-second Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
Unknown Artist
c. 1560
Medium
gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions
20.3 × 14 cm · painting only: 10.1 × 9.8 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry
Accession Number
1962.279.154.a
About this artwork
On the 22nd night after her husband’s departure, the parrot advises his mistress Kujastha that when she meets her lover that night she should use her best judgment and manners and not allow herself to be laughed at like the wife of the amir, a local ruler. When Khujasta asked about what happened to her, the parrot related a story about the amir, his jester, and their unfaithful wives. This artist continued to use flat planes of colors and patterns characteristic of Indian painting before the Mug...