The handmaiden appeals for justice and the prince is taken to the execution site for the fourth time, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
1560
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1560
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a king on a throne listening to a crying servant girl, while below him a prince kneels tied up, waiting to be killed. The prince is innocent but has taken a vow of silence, so he can’t speak up. The painting is from a book of parrot tales made for Emperor Akbar. The story pauses here—just before the vizier jumps in with another tale to buy time. It’s like a cliffhanger in a TV show. To see more paintings like this, look up mughal india, court of akbar (reigned 1556–1605).
