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Habbaza’s sister, who is sent to console her, discovers the disguised Arab in her place, 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 Tent

Dominant colour

Habbaza’s sister, who is sent to console her, discovers the disguised Arab in her place, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-fourth Night is a 1560 unspecified by Unknown, a Mughal Painting work, depicting Tent, 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 a woman in a striped robe kneeling beside a man on a bed, her hand reaching toward his bruised face. This painting comes from a book of parrot tales told in Akbar’s court. The story is wild: a man disguised as a woman gets beaten, then the sister who comes to help falls for him instead. The artist packed the drama into a small space, using bright colors and sharp details to show every emotion. To see more paintings like this, look up Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605).

The story of this work

Overview

The man on the left, disguised as Habbaza, has just been badly beaten by Habbaza’s husband. He is the Arab man who has temporarily taken the woman’s place while she visits with her lover. Upon entering the tent to heal her sister’s wounds, Habbaza’s sister quickly discovers the ruse and begins an affair of her own.