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The three suitors again begin to quarrel among themselves for the hand of the devotee’s daughter, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twentieth Night

Unknown

1560

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Mughal Painting Renaissance Renaissance

Dominant colour

The three suitors again begin to quarrel among themselves for the hand of the devotee’s daughter, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twentieth Night 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 three men fighting in a courtyard while a woman watches from a balcony. The men are dressed in rich fabrics, and the scene is packed with tiny details—flowers, animals, and patterns on the walls. This painting comes from a book of stories told by a parrot to keep its owner from sneaking out at night. The woman in the story is so upset by the men’s behavior that she gives up on love and joins a temple. The artist filled the scene with bright colors and careful lines, showing off the skill of painters in Mughal India. To see more work like this, look up Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605).

The story of this work

Overview

After working together to revive the woman from her death-like illness, the three suitors resume their rivalry. The men brawl in the courtyard while she looks on from her chamber. Horrified by the behavior of her suitors, she renounces worldly matters, joins a temple, and devotes herself to serving god.