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The marriage of ‘Ubaid, son of a merchant of Tirmiz, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-second Night

Unknown

1560

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Mughal Painting Renaissance Renaissance

Dominant colour

The marriage of ‘Ubaid, son of a merchant of Tirmiz, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-second 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 young man in green sitting on a bright blue carpet, holding hands with his bride under a flowering tree. This painting comes from a book of parrot tales told to Emperor Akbar’s court. The story warns against love that distracts from duty—here, the groom is so smitten he forgets his work. The tiny birds in the corner aren’t just decoration; they’re the wise parrot and myna giving advice to his worried father. To see more paintings like this, look up Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605).

The story of this work

Overview

The young ‘Ubaid, wearing green, sits across from his new wife on a blue and gold arabesque carpet. ‘Ubaid is so infatuated with his bride’s beauty that he begins to neglect his regular duties. His worried father consults a talking parrot and myna bird for advice on how to restrain his son’s excessive devotion.