Artwork
Kamjuy, the wife of the Raja, averts her face from the fishes, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-third Night
Kamjuy, the wife of the Raja, averts her face from the fishes, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-third Night is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1560 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The painting depicts a courtly tableau drawn from the twenty‑third night of the Tuti‑nama (Tales of a Parrot).
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Kamjuy, depicted as the wife of a raja, averts her gaze from the fishes, a motif that symbolizes modesty and detachment from material abundance within the narrative context of the Tuti-nama. The act of turning away from the aquatic creatures underscores themes of humility and spiritual focus, aligning with Mughal artistic conventions that employ subtle gestures to convey moral lessons. This painting, created in the mid-sixteenth century within the Mughal imperial milieu, reflects the courtly patronage that blended Persian storytelling with Indian visual idioms, using iconographic nuance to enrich the didactic purpose of the manuscript and resonating with its function as a repository of moral exempla.
History & Provenance
The painting Kamjuy, the wife of the Raja, averts her face from the fishes, created in 1560, is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work is cataloged under the accession number 1962.279.163.a. It is identified as a Mughal Empire painting, though the specific artist remains unknown. The museum serves as the current location for this folio from the Tuti-nama manuscript.
Legacy
The miniature from the Tuti-nama, depicting Kamjuy averting her gaze from the fishes, is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection, accessioned in 1962. It continues to be referenced in scholarship on Mughal manuscript painting and the portrayal of royal women within Persianate artistic traditions.
Overview
Attendants bearing trays and a gilded pitcher surround them, set against a richly patterned border of green and red motifs and an Arabic inscription above.
The painting depicts a courtly tableau drawn from the twenty‑third night of the Tuti‑nama (Tales of a Parrot). A regal figure seated on an elaborately carved chair holds a fan, while a second gentleman in patterned robes appears to play a musical instrument. Attendants bearing trays and a gilded pitcher surround them, set against a richly patterned border of green and red motifs and an Arabic inscription above.
Technique & Style
Executed in vivid pigments with extensive use of gold leaf, the work combines Persian miniature aesthetics with Indian courtly ornamentation. Fine brushwork renders intricate textile patterns and delicate facial expressions, while the flat, decorative background emphasizes surface pattern over spatial depth, characteristic of manuscript illustration of the period.
Context
The Tuti‑nama was a popular literary work that blended moral instruction with entertainment, often illustrated for elite audiences. This image reflects the cultural exchange between Persian literary traditions and Indian courtly patronage, illustrating how stories traveled and were visually adapted across regions during the Mughal era.
Artist & collection
- Kamjuy, the wife of the Raja, averts her face from the fishes, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-third Night
Mahrusa’s marriage to the prefect of the city, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-sixth Night
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
The Brahman’s wife who killed a peacock and ate its gallbladder on the physician’s advice, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Nineteenth Night
The marriage of ‘Ubaid, son of a merchant of Tirmiz, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-second Night
The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Twenty-fifth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
The parrot laughs on hearing the Raja of Ujjain’s wife admire her beauty in a mirror, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot: Forty-sixth Night
The daughter-in-law of the king of Banaras, charmed by the music of a vagabond, comes down to meet him, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Sixteenth Night
The daughter-in-law returns from her misadventure, feigning insanity, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Sixteenth Night
The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Twenty-third Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
The parrot addresses Khujasta at the beginning of the thirty-third night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Twenty-Fourth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
The parrot addresses Khujasta at the beginning of the thirty-eighth night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
The merchant has the hateful skull ground and put into a box, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-third Night
The parrot addresses Khujasta at the beginning of the thirty-eighth night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
The king of Zabul sees Mahrusa from his palace balcony, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-sixth Night
The eldest brother explains the reason for his youthful appearance, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-ninth Night
The king gives his daughter in marriage to the pious man’s son, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifty-second Night
The merchant’s clerk replaces the sugar purchased by the philandering wife with gravel, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Tenth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)