Artwork Page for The old procuress conveys the young man’s message of love to Mansur’s wife, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot: Seventeenth Night

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The old procuress conveys the young man’s message of love to Mansur’s wife, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot: Seventeenth Night

c. 1560

Sravana

(Indian)
View all records in artwork set
Culture
Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)
Medium
gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Measurements
Overall: 20.3 x 14 cm (8 x 5 1/2 in.); Painting only: 11.3 x 10.1 cm (4 7/16 x 4 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.127.a
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

The golden mihrab next to vessels for ritual cleansing points toward Mecca, emphasizing the wife’s piety.

Description

When a lascivious young man learns of the beauty and virtue of the merchant Mansur’s wife, he becomes obsessed with her. While Mansur is away on a long journey, the man decides to profess his love for the woman through a messenger. Here Mansur’s wife, seated on an arabesque-patterned carpet, rebuffs the young man’s advances and sends the procuress away.
A vertically oriented gum tempera and ink painting features black script above and below a scene of three women with light skin tones. In a room with patterned pink walls, a woman in purple stands to the left holding a striped cloth over a woman seated in orange and green. To the right, an older woman in blue and white veil leans on a staff. Below, a bowl and golden pitcher sit on green ground.

The old procuress conveys the young man’s message of love to Mansur’s wife, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot: Seventeenth Night

c. 1560

Sravana

(Indian)
Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)

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