The parrot addresses Khujasta at the beginning of the fifty-second night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifty-second Night
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 red dress sitting on the floor, a green parrot perched on a stand beside her. The parrot’s beak is open, as if it’s talking. This painting comes from a book of stories told by a parrot to delay its owner’s secret meetings. The woman here is about to be caught—her husband is coming home. The bright colors and fine details show how artists in Mughal India mixed Persian and local styles. If you like this, look up Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605).
