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The lion returns to his territory and sees the monkey conversing with the lynx, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-ninth Night, by Unknown, unspecified, 1560

The lion returns to his territory and sees the monkey conversing with the lynx, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-ninth Night

Unknown

1560

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

Overview

The lion returns to his territory and sees the monkey conversing with the lynx, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-ninth 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 lion, a monkey, and a lynx in a meadow full of flowers and tiny trees. The lion looks surprised, as if he just walked in on a secret meeting. This painting comes from a book of parrot tales made for Emperor Akbar’s court. The story says the lion is tricked—the lynx aren’t really there when he first arrives. The artist left that part out, so the painting feels like a quiet moment instead of a fight. If you like this, look up more from Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605).

The story of this work

Overview

The lion who rules the meadow returns from a journey to find that his home has been invaded by a family of lynx, who claim that they are its rightful owners. Although this painting depicts all of the animals together, in the text, the lion does not see the lynx and is easily tricked into believing they are fearsome creatures.

Did you know?

The monkey bares his teeth and gesticulates when he talks.

Read the full account in the museum source.

About the artist

More by Unknown

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