Open full image Pin

The gardener seizes and beats a donkey who insisted on braying, while the deer, its companion flees to safety, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-first Night

Unknown

1560

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Mughal Painting Renaissance Renaissance Allegory Hunting

Dominant colour

The gardener seizes and beats a donkey who insisted on braying, while the deer, its companion flees to safety, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-first Night is a 1560 unspecified by Unknown, a Mughal Painting work, depicting Hunting, 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 gardener swings a stick at a tied-up donkey while a deer bolts away. The donkey’s mouth is open—mid-bray—its legs tangled in rope. This painting comes from a book of parrot tales made for Emperor Akbar’s court. The story warns against ignoring good advice. The deer tried to stop the donkey’s loud singing, but the donkey wouldn’t listen. Now it’s paying the price. To see more paintings like this, look up Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605).

The story of this work

Overview

On the right, the furious gardener raises his staff to strike the ensnared donkey, who struggles to escape his bonds. The deer had previously tried to warn the donkey that his loud and abrasive singing would be his downfall. However, the stubborn donkey could not resist the temptation to bray.