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 narrative derives from the Tuti‑nama, a Persian collection of moral tales. In this episode, a Brahman’s wife follows a physician’s prescription to kill a peacock and consume its gallbladder, an act linked to health or spiritual benefit within the story. The woman's solemn expression underscores the gravity of the prescribed remedy.

Rendered with a bright palette, the painting combines flat decorative surfaces with detailed figural modeling. Geometric patterns and gold‑lined borders frame the walls, while Arabic calligraphy runs along the upper and lower margins, integrating textual and visual elements typical of Persian miniature traditions adapted to a larger canvas format.

The scene reflects the cultural exchange between Persian literary motifs and South Asian visual conventions. The inclusion of a physician’s advice and the exotic peacock ties the composition to themes of health, ritual, and the moral instruction prevalent in courtly storytelling.

As a rare visual representation of a specific Tuti‑nama episode, the painting offers scholars insight into how literary tales were interpreted in visual form, contributing to the broader understanding of narrative art in the Persianate world.