Open full image Pin

The parrot addresses Khujasta at the beginning of the thirty-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 thirty-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 gold-trimmed robe sitting on a carpet, a green parrot perched on her finger, talking to her. This painting is from a book of stories told by a parrot to delay a wife’s secret meeting. The bright colors and fine details show the luxury of the Mughal court. The parrot’s tale is meant to teach a lesson—beauty can bring trouble. To see more like this, look up *Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)*.

The story of this work

Overview

Before Khujasta can sneak away to meet with her lover, Tuti the parrot begins to tell her a story about a man named Utarid and his wife, Khurshid, who encountered many misfortunes because of her great beauty.