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The parrot addresses Khujasta at the beginning of the thirty-eighth night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)

Unknown

1560

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Mughal Painting Renaissance Renaissance Interior

Dominant colour

The parrot addresses Khujasta at the beginning of the thirty-eighth night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot) 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 woman in a bright red dress sitting on the floor, listening to a green parrot perched on a stand. The room is small, with patterned carpets and a window letting in soft light. This painting is from a book of stories told by a parrot to delay a woman’s secret meeting. The parrot’s tales are so long that dawn breaks before she can leave. The details—like the woman’s jewelry and the parrot’s feathers—are painted with tiny, careful brushstrokes. If you like this, look up *Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)*.

The story of this work

Overview

Before Khujasta can leave for a clandestine meeting with her lover, she is stopped by Tuti the parrot who begins to tell her the story of a group of small animals who joined together to overcome an elephant. By the time the parrot’s tale is over, the sun has risen and Khujasta is unable to leave.