Artwork
Salim and Salima return to Ayaz and Mahmuda in the sanctuary, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-third Night
Salim and Salima return to Ayaz and Mahmuda in the sanctuary, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-third Night is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1560 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts Salim and Salima returning to Ayaz and Mahmuda within a sanctuary, illustrating the Thirty-third Night of the Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot). As a Mughal miniature made around 1560 in the Mughal Empire, the work employs the period's characteristic fine detail and vibrant palette to convey the narrative moment. Being an illustration from the Tuti-nama, the image serves to visualize a moral tale, highlighting themes of reunion, fidelity, and the didactic purpose of the parrot's stories.
History & Provenance
The miniature depicting Salim and Salima returning to Ayaz and Mahmuda in the sanctuary comes from the thirty-third night of a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot).
The miniature depicting Salim and Salima returning to Ayaz and Mahmuda in the sanctuary comes from the thirty-third night of a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot). It was produced around 1560 in the Mughal Empire and is attributed to an unknown artist. The work is in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under accession number 1962.279.222.a as part of its Indian miniature holdings.
It has been part of the museum's collection since its acquisition, though specific exhibition records are not detailed in the available sources.
Context
The miniature depicting Salim and Salima's return to Ayaz and Mahmuda in the sanctuary is catalogued as a 1560 painting from the Tuti-nama series, reflecting Mughal court patronage and narrative illustration traditions. The work is attributed to an unknown artist and is housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it forms part of their collection of Indian miniature paintings. Its stylistic features align with sixteenth-century Mughal manuscript production, emphasizing courtly themes and intricate compositional detail.
Overview
This painting depicts a scene from the Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot) on the thirty-third night, showing Salim and Salima's return to Ayaz and Mahmuda in a serene garden sanctuary. The composition features four main figures amidst lush greenery, a distinctive tomb-like structure, and a border of Persian script.
Technique & Style
Executed with bold colors (notably reds, greens, and golds), the painting showcases meticulous attention to patterned textiles in the characters' attire. The style is characteristic of Indian miniature painting traditions, with intricate details and a framed narrative space.
Legacy
Now part of The Cleveland Museum of Art's collection, this painting contributes to the institution's holdings of Indian miniature paintings, offering insights into the artistic and literary traditions of the Indian subcontinent for scholars and the public alike.
Artist & collection
- Hearing her declaration of love, Ayaz falls at the feet of Mahmuda at the holy shrine. The scene is witnessed by Salim, Ayaz’s friend, and a maid, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-third Night
The two couples reach a foreign city where they make their home, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-third Night
Hearing her declaration of love, Ayaz falls at the feet of Mahmuda at the holy shrine. The scene is witnessed by Salim, Ayaz’s friend, and a maid, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-third Night
The third suitor strikes the devotee’s daughter and thus restores her to life, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twentieth Night
The parrot addresses Khujasta at the beginning of the thirty-third night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
The two couples reach a foreign city where they make their home, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-third Night
The daughter-in-law returns from her misadventure, feigning insanity, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Sixteenth Night
The three suitors again begin to quarrel among themselves for the hand of the devotee’s daughter, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twentieth Night
The third suitor strikes the devotee’s daughter and thus restores her to life, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twentieth Night
The parrot addresses Khujasta at the beginning of the thirty-first night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
The prince and Nikfal are joined by Khalis and the Mukhlis who are the grateful snake and frog in human form, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighteenth Night
The merchant has the hateful skull ground and put into a box, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-third 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 king of the Ocean, having assumed human form, arrives at the court of the Raja, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eleventh Night
The king of Zabul sees Mahrusa from his palace balcony, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-sixth Night
The Raja’s son vows to sever his head and offer it to the image if he is united with the princess he has seen in the temple, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-fourth Night
Mahrusa’s marriage to the prefect of the city, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-sixth Night
The merchant has the hateful skull ground and put into a box, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-third Night
The young man of Baghdad solicits advice from a friend as his slave girl, who is adept at music, awaits, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-eighth Night