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Habbaza meets Bashir under a tree, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-fourth Night

Unknown

1560

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Mughal Painting Renaissance Renaissance

Dominant colour

Habbaza meets Bashir under a tree, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-fourth Night is a 1560 unspecified by Unknown, a Mughal Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

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

About this work

You see two people meeting under a tree at night, while a third person waits nearby. Below them, a village bustles with small figures going about their day. This painting comes from a book of parrot tales written for Emperor Akbar. The story is about secret love, but the artist made it feel quiet and still. The dark sky and bright faces pull your eye to the hidden meeting. To see more art like this, look up Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605).

The story of this work

Overview

Habbaza clandestinely meets with her lover Bashir outside of her village. The two lovers have been separated by Habbaza’s husband, who learned of their affair. Bahir’s friend, who arranged the secret meeting, waits at the right. The lower register shows a scene of the activity in Habbaza’s village.