The king places the talisman on his sleeping wife, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fiftieth Night
1560
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1560
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a king in a richly decorated room, pressing a small object to his wife’s forehead while she sleeps. This painting comes from a book of stories told by a parrot to delay its owner’s meeting with her lover. The talisman isn’t magic—it’s a trick to prove the wife’s innocence. The king thinks she’s been unfaithful, but the truth is kinder than he expects. Look up *Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)* to see more of these vivid, detailed miniatures.
