The vagabond crosses a stream with the possessions of the daughter-in-law of the king of Banaras and absconds, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Sixteenth Night

The painting entered the Cleveland Museum of Art collection and remains on view, preserving its role as a visual narrative from the Tuti-nama series. Its depiction of a fugitive bearing royal belongings influenced later Mughal book‑art compositions that emphasized covert movement and moral ambiguity, a motif noted in scholarly studies of 17th‑century Persianate illustration.

The work continues to be cited in exhibitions on Indo‑Persian manuscript painting and in academic discussions of cross‑cultural storytelling, reinforcing its reputation as an early example of narrative suspense in Indian art.

The work, titled The vagabond crosses a stream with the possessions of the daughter‑in‑law of the king of Banaras and absconds, depicts a hurried figure in orange shirt and blue shorts clutching a red object as he dashes across a grassy riverside. A woman in a blue top and red skirt watches from the right, her demeanor composed while the man’s face shows strain and urgency. The composition is set amid verdant foliage and scattered items that suggest a domestic setting.

The narrative derives from the sixth night of the Tuti‑nama (Tales of a Parrot), a collection of moral anecdotes. Here the fleeing vagabond is shown seizing the belongings of a royal daughter‑in‑law, a plot that underscores themes of deceit, social transgression, and the precariousness of wealth in courtly life.

Executed in vivid, saturated hues, the painting relies on bold color contrasts, orange against blue, red against green, to heighten the sense of motion. The brushwork is energetic, especially in the figure’s limbs, conveying a dynamic tension that aligns with the story’s dramatic climax.