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

Unknown

1560

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Mughal Painting Renaissance Renaissance

Dominant colour

The parrot addresses Khujasta at the beginning of the forty-second 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 rich red robe sitting under a tree, a green parrot perched on a branch above her. The parrot leans forward as if speaking, while the woman listens with her hands clasped. This painting comes from a book of stories called the *Tuti-nama*, or *Tales of a Parrot*. Each night, the parrot tells a story to delay the woman from meeting her lover—just like in the tale shown here. The bright colors and fine details were meant to impress Emperor Akbar, who loved art that told stories. To see more art from this time, look up Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605).

The story of this work

Overview

As the sun sets on the forty-second night Khujasta reproaches Tuti, accusing him of keeping her away from her lover. Tuti responds by telling Khujasta a story about a merchant’s son who similarly received wise advice from a talking parrot. By the time the story ends, it is too late for Khujasta to visit her lover.