The snake, hidden in a basket of flowers, reveals himself to the Raja who has just sent away his wife, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-third Night
Unknown Artist
c. 1560
Medium
gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions
20.3 × 14 cm · painting only: 10.6 × 10.8 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry
Accession Number
1962.279.278.b
About this artwork
A black cobra appears beside the raja’s bed, intending to poison him in revenge for his earlier cruelty. The raja, who had mutilated the snake’s wife, reveals that he did so only after watching her seduce another snake. Upon realizing his wife’s treachery, the grateful cobra grants the raja the ability to talk to animals.