The monk returns the magic parrot to its rightful owner, the merchant, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Tenth Night
1560
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1560
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
A monk in a leopard-skin cape hands a bright green parrot back to a merchant. The bird sits calmly on the monk’s finger, its wooden body painted with tiny details. Around them, rich fabrics and patterned tiles fill the scene. This painting comes from a book of parrot tales told over fifty-two nights. The story here is about trickery and trust—how the parrot was stolen, then returned. The artist worked in the court of Emperor Akbar, where paintings like this were made to entertain and teach. To see more art from this time, look up *mughal india, court of akbar (reigned 1556–1605)*.
