The lion disturbed by mice who eat the food trapped in his aging teeth, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifteenth Night
1560
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1560
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
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 a 1560 unspecified by Unknown, a Mughal Painting work, depicting Mughal Court, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A tiger lies on pink grass while tiny mice scurry over his face, nibbling at food stuck in his teeth. The sky glows soft and blue behind him. This painting comes from a book of parrot tales made for Emperor Akbar. The artist swapped a lion for a tiger—common in Indian art. The mice aren’t just pests; they’re part of the story, showing how even a powerful beast can be bothered by small things. If you like this, look up more works about Mughal court.
In a scene that was overpainted to suit the taste of the emperor Akbar for soft modeling and a naturalistic sky, a tiger lies in a pink clearing, while mice run around him to pick at his teeth. The artist has depicted a tiger instead of a lion, the two often being interchangeable in Indian art. In the story, the lion had grown old and suffered from cavities, into which his food would get stuck. Mice would come and feed on those morsels between his teeth and disturb his sleep.
This story takes place in China
Read the full account in the museum source.
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