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The farmer, father of the son with the deceitful wife, steals away with her anklet while she is in bed with her lover, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night

Unknown

1560

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Mughal Painting Renaissance Renaissance Allegory

Dominant colour

The farmer, father of the son with the deceitful wife, steals away with her anklet while she is in bed with her lover, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth 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

You see a man tiptoeing out of a room, holding a woman’s anklet while she and her lover lie in bed, half-hidden by curtains. This painting comes from a book of parrot tales made for Emperor Akbar. The story is a mix of gossip and warning—about trust, secrets, and what happens when they unravel. The little details, like the pan leaves and perfume bottles under the bed, show how carefully the scene was set up. To see more art like this, look up mughal india, court of akbar (reigned 1556–1605).

The story of this work

Overview

The unfaithful wife and her lover were discovered by her father-in-law in their rendezvous place. Thinking she was asleep, he took her anklet as evidence of her infidelity, planning to confront her with it later. The lovers, still in bed, were awakened and witnessed him leaving by the gate, holding her anklet. Under the bed are a pitcher and basin for water, a dish of breath-freshening and mildly narcotic pan leaves, along with bottles of perfumes, all the accoutrements for a romantic encounter.