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The young prince recounts his experiences to his father, the king, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night

Suraju

1560

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Mughal Painting Renaissance Renaissance Made for Prince Salim

Dominant colour

The young prince recounts his experiences to his father, the king, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night is a 1560 unspecified by Suraju, a Mughal Painting work, depicting Made for Prince Salim, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Suraju
When & what style?: 1560 · Mughal Painting
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a prince kneeling before a king on a golden throne, while courtiers watch and a woman in the corner glares. This painting comes from a book of parrot tales told to a queen to pass the time. The prince has just broken a week-long vow of silence to clear his name—notice how everyone leans in, except the accuser, who stands apart. Look up more paintings of mughal india, court of akbar (reigned 1556–1605) to see how royal stories were told in miniature.

The story of this work

Overview

After seven days the young prince’s vow of silence has come to an end, and he is finally able to speak and defend himself against false charges of assault by the handmaiden. He addresses his enthroned father while the surrounding members of the king’s court look on. The deceitful handmaiden who accused the prince stands alone in the chamber in the upper right.