Open full image Pin

Kaiwan sends a message of love to Khurshid, wife of his brother Utarid who is away on a journey, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-second Night

Unknown

1560

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Mughal Painting Renaissance Renaissance

Dominant colour

Kaiwan sends a message of love to Khurshid, wife of his brother Utarid who is away on a journey, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-second 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 men and a woman in a richly decorated room. One man kneels, handing a letter to the woman, who sits stiffly on a bed. The other man waits nervously in the corner. This painting comes from a *Tuti-nama*, a book of parrot tales told to Emperor Akbar. The story here is about love, loyalty, and secrets—Kaiwan sends a love note to his brother’s wife, but she rejects him. To see more art like this, look up Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605).

The story of this work

Overview

Khurshid, seated on the bed at the left, is addressed by the messenger, who relays Kaiwan’s confession. Khurshid, who is virtuous and devout, sternly rejects his amorous advances. On the right, Kaiwan himself sits, anxiously awaiting the messenger’s return. Upon learning of Khurshid’s refusal, Kaiwan devises a plan to prevent his brother Utarid from learning of his indiscretions.