Artifact World Gallery
Get the iOS app

Artwork

The gardener seizes and beats a donkey who insisted on braying, while the deer, its companion flees to safety, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-first Night

The gardener seizes and beats a donkey who insisted on braying, while the deer, its companion flees to safety, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-first Night, unspecified, 1560
The gardener seizes and beats a donkey who insisted on braying, while the deer, its companion flees to safety, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-first Night, unspecified, 1560

The gardener seizes and beats a donkey who insisted on braying, while the deer, its companion flees to safety, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-first Night is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1560 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Technique & Style

The painting depicts a gardener seizing and beating a donkey while a deer companion flees, rendered in opaque watercolor with fine brushwork on paper. It is a Mughal-era miniature from 1560, created in India and housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art. The composition uses muted earth tones and delicate linework to emphasize narrative detail and movement.

History & Provenance

The painting dates to 1560 and was produced within the Mughal Empire, situating its creation during the early decades of Mughal painting under Emperor Akbar.

The painting dates to 1560 and was produced within the Mughal Empire, situating its creation during the early decades of Mughal painting under Emperor Akbar. It belongs to a dispersed illustrated manuscript of the Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot), a cycle to which the Forty-first Night illustration is attributed.

The work is now held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under accession number 1962.279.267.a. The accession year recorded in this number indicates that the painting entered the museum's holdings in 1962, though the sources do not detail the prior ownership chain or the circumstances of its acquisition.

The painting is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland. Its inventory number is 1962.279.267.a. The work, created within the Mughal Empire around 1560, depicts a scene from the Tuti-nama where a gardener beats a donkey while a deer flees. The source does not provide a detailed exhibition history for this specific folio.

Overview

The work depicts a vivid forest scene in which a man dressed in bright orange seizes a donkey by the neck as the animal rears, its eyes wild. A deer watches from nearby foliage, its posture tense. The composition is framed by dense green foliage and a ground rendered in pinkish tones, while a line of Persian script runs along the lower edge.

Subject & Meaning

The episode illustrates a moment from the Persian narrative collection Tuti‑nama (Tales of a Parrot), in which animals are anthropomorphized to convey moral lessons. Here the donkey’s defiant braying provokes the gardener’s violent response, while the deer’s flight underscores the danger inherent in the chaotic encounter.

Context

During the period when the Tuti‑nama was popular, illustrated books served both educational and decorative purposes, often featuring moralizing stories about animal behavior. This painting reflects that cultural milieu, merging literary content with visual storytelling in a format intended for elite patrons.

The gardener seizes and beats a donkey who insisted on braying, while the deer, its companion flees to safety, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-first Night
The gardener seizes and beats a donkey who insisted on braying, while the deer, its companion flees to safety, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-first Night

Artist & collection

SAME SUBJECT

Similarity 100 percent

VISUALLY SIMILAR

Similarity 98 percent
This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: Cleveland Museum of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.In the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Compiled & edited by , Editor & Founder.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I see The gardener seizes and beats a donkey who insisted on braying, while the deer, its companion flees to safety, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-first Night?

The gardener seizes and beats a donkey who insisted on braying, while the deer, its companion flees to safety, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-first Night is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is The gardener seizes and beats a donkey who insisted on braying, while the deer, its companion flees to safety, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-first Night?

The gardener seizes and beats a donkey who insisted on braying, while the deer, its companion flees to safety, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-first Night is associated with Mughal Painting.