The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Twenty-Fourth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
1560
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1560
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a woman in a rich red robe sitting on the floor, listening to a green parrot perched on a stand beside her. This painting is from a book of stories called the *Tuti-nama*, or *Tales of a Parrot*. The parrot isn’t just a bird—it’s a trickster, telling stories to stop the woman from sneaking out to meet her lover. The tales are meant to teach a lesson, like a fable. If you like this, look up Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605) for more art from this time.
