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Latif, who has murdered his brother, falsely accuses Khurshid of the deed, 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

Latif, who has murdered his brother, falsely accuses Khurshid of the deed, 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

A man stands over a dead body, hands raised in shock. A woman kneels beside him, holding a bloody knife. Outside, another man watches through a window. This painting tells a story from the *Tuti-nama*, a book of parrot tales read aloud at the Mughal court. The artist shows guilt and innocence in one scene—Latif accuses Khurshid, but the knife in her hand gives him away. The bright colors and fine details were meant to impress Emperor Akbar. To see more art like this, look up Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605).

The story of this work

Overview

Latif stands above his brother’s body with both hands raised in a gesture of astonishment. Khurshid kneels beside the bed listening to his accusations with resignation. In her hand, she holds the bloody knife that Latif placed there while she slept. On the right, an astonished man peers at the scene of the murder through an open window.