The two cooks, who attempt to seduce the warrior’s loyal wife, are trapped by her in a cellar, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fourth Night
1560
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1560
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see two cooks hiding in a dark cellar, their faces lit by a single lamp. A woman stands above them, arms crossed, while a bed made of thin sticks collapses behind the men. This painting comes from a book of parrot tales told to Emperor Akbar. The story tests a wife’s loyalty—she outsmarts the cooks sent to seduce her. The artist shows the moment of trickery, with light and shadow making the scene feel tense. To see more stories like this, look up *mughal india, court of akbar (reigned 1556–1605)*.
