Khusrau, the King of Kings, pays homage to the pious daughter of Khassa, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifty-first Night
1560
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1560
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Khusrau, the King of Kings, pays homage to the pious daughter of Khassa, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifty-first Night is a 1560 unspecified by Unknown, a Mughal Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a king kneeling before a woman in a red robe, while servants and soldiers stand around them in a desert landscape with a brick well. This painting comes from a book of parrot tales written for Emperor Akbar. The story shows a woman’s faith saving her after she’s left to die. The artist made the desert feel alive with tiny plants and animals—even a scorpion near the well. To see more paintings like this, look up Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605).
After being abandoned in the desert by her cruel husband, Khassa’s daughter is discovered by Khusrau, who is instantly captivated by her religious devotion. He proposes marriage and aptly punishes those who were cruel to her. The brick well that sustained her for many days in the desert is depicted in the foreground.
The woman kneels on a rug and holds prayer beads, signaling her Islamic faith.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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