The young man of Baghdad reunited with his slave-girl, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-eighth Night
1560
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1560
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The young man of Baghdad reunited with his slave-girl, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-eighth Night is a 1560 unspecified by Unknown, a Mughal Painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a man and woman embracing in front of an empty grave, surrounded by trees and a small crowd. The woman wears black; the man looks relieved. This painting comes from a book of parrot tales told over fifty-two nights. Each night’s story was illustrated by artists at Emperor Akbar’s court. The bright colors and flat shapes make the scene feel like a storybook page. To see more paintings like this, look up Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605).
After the young man was left behind by his merchant ship, his lover, the slave girl, believed that he was dead. She erected a monument in his honor and donned black clothes of mourning, yet fate brought them together again. Here, the two lovers embrace in front of the young man’s empty grave.
The space designated for the sky has not been painted.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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