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Khujasta kills the pet mynah who advises her not to be unfaithful to Maymun, her husband, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of the Parrot): First Night

Unknown

1560

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Mughal Painting Renaissance Renaissance

Dominant colour

Khujasta kills the pet mynah who advises her not to be unfaithful to Maymun, her husband, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of the Parrot): First 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

A woman in a green dress stands over a dead bird on the floor. Her husband’s ship sails away in the background. The room glows with a deep red wall. This painting comes from a book of parrot tales told to delay a wife’s betrayal. The bright red and tiny details show three cultures blending: Indian color, Persian linework, and Mughal light effects. The bird’s death is the story’s turning point. Look up *mughal india, court of akbar (reigned 1556–1605)* to see more of these mixed styles.

The story of this work

Overview

The first illustration of the Cleveland Tuti-Nama shows the merchant departing and his wife killing the mynah bird that tells her not to commit adultery. The bright red background and composition are Indian, while the delicacy of drawing is Persian, and the atmospheric effects in the upper left are a Mughal development.