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The young prince is presented to the king, his father, by his teacher, but refuses to speak, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night

Unknown

1560

unspecified

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Mughal Painting Renaissance Renaissance Made for Prince Salim

Dominant colour

The young prince is presented to the king, his father, by his teacher, but refuses to speak, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night is a 1560 unspecified by Unknown, a Mughal Painting work, depicting Made for Prince Salim, 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 young prince standing stiffly before his father, the king, while his teacher gestures toward him. This painting comes from a book of parrot tales made for Emperor Akbar. The story behind it is unusual: the prince couldn’t speak for years, but his teacher used pictures and stories to help him learn. The scene shows the moment just before the prince proves he’s ready to rule—except he’s about to stay silent again, this time on purpose. Look up *mughal india, court of akbar (reigned 1556–1605)* to see more of these vivid miniatures.

The story of this work

Overview

As the prince grew up, he was failing in his studies. After 12 years of frustration, the king found a teacher who used pictures and creative oral techniques to help him learn. When the day came for his examinations that would prove him fit to rule, both the prince and the teacher were confident that he was well prepared. Before going in for the examinations, the teacher read his horoscope and discovered that disaster would befall him that very week, unless he kept completely silent until the seven-day period of danger had passed. The painting on this page shows the prince in blue next to his…