Artwork Page for The sentinel in the employ of the Shah of Tabaristan prepares to sacrifice his son to the ghost of the Shah’s soul, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Second Night

Details / Information for The sentinel in the employ of the Shah of Tabaristan prepares to sacrifice his son to the ghost of the Shah’s soul, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Second Night

The sentinel in the employ of the Shah of Tabaristan prepares to sacrifice his son to the ghost of the Shah’s soul, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Second Night

c. 1560

Mughal India, court of Akbar

(reigned 1556–1605)
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Medium
gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Measurements
Painting only: 10.2 x 10.6 cm (4 x 4 3/16 in.); Overall: 20.1 x 14.3 cm (7 15/16 x 5 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.16.a
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

The near sacrifice of the sentinel’s son parallels the Qur'an’s story of Abraham and Ishmael.

Description

The loyal sentinel, in orange, holds a knife to his son’s throat, ready to sacrifice him to save the life of his dying king, the shah. The shah himself watches from behind the tree on the right. At the left, the female personification of the shah’s soul intervenes, saving both the shah and the sentinel’s son.
A vertically oriented manuscript page depicts a garden scene with people with light skin tones, beneath five lines of black script. Under a gold and blue arched sky, a man in an orange robe at center kneels over a youth in blue, holding a knife to their neck. At our left, a woman in a red top raises her hands. At our right, another man in blue stands beside a tree.

The sentinel in the employ of the Shah of Tabaristan prepares to sacrifice his son to the ghost of the Shah’s soul, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Second Night

c. 1560

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

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