Artwork
The lion disturbed by mice who eat the food trapped in his aging teeth, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifteenth Night
The lion disturbed by mice who eat the food trapped in his aging teeth, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifteenth Night is an unspecified painting by the Mughal Painting artist Unknown. It dates from 1560 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. This painting illustrates a scene from the Tuti-nama, a collection of parrot tales, created for Emperor Akbar.
- Accession no.
- 1962.279.113.a
- Credit line
- Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry
About this work
Overview
This painting illustrates a scene from the Tuti-nama, a collection of parrot tales, created for Emperor Akbar. It depicts a tiger, substituted for the original story's lion, lying in a pink clearing while mice nibble at food stuck in his teeth.
Subject & Meaning
The scene represents a narrative where a powerful, aging beast is disturbed by small creatures exploiting its weakness, highlighting the vulnerability that can accompany power.
Technique & Style
The original work was later overpainted to conform to Akbar's aesthetic preferences, featuring soft modeling and a naturalistic sky, characteristic of the artistic adaptations made during his reign.
Context
The substitution of a tiger for a lion reflects a common practice in Indian art, where the two animals were often used interchangeably, demonstrating the flexibility and conventions of artistic representation in this cultural context.
Artist & collection
- The lion disturbed by mice who eat the food trapped in his aging teeth, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifteenth Night
The cat attacks the mice which disturb the lion, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifteenth Night
The wolf advises the lion to consult the cat, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifteenth Night
The cat attacks the mice which disturb the lion, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifteenth Night
The snake enters into an argument with the frog, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-sixth Night
The monkey advises the suspicious lion to cast off fear and take possession of his territory, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-ninth Night
The Brahman comes upon a lion who has a deer and a gazelle as his viziers, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-first Night
The monkey, serving as the lion’s chamberlain, converses with the lynx and its mate who have arrived with their cubs to settle in the lion’s domain, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-ninth Night
The hunter throws away the baby parrots, who pretend to be dead, and captures the mother, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifth Night
The Brahman comes upon a lion who has a deer and a gazelle as his viziers, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-first Night
The wolf and the jackal, serving as viziers, instigate the lion who pursues the Brahman up a tree, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-first Night
The parrot addresses Khujasta at the beginning of the thirty-first night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)