Artwork Page for The fourth man digs at the spot where he dropped the shell, expecting jewels, but discovering mere iron, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-seventh Night

Details / Information for The fourth man digs at the spot where he dropped the shell, expecting jewels, but discovering mere iron, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-seventh Night

The fourth man digs at the spot where he dropped the shell, expecting jewels, but discovering mere iron, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-seventh Night

c. 1560

Mughal India, court of Akbar

(reigned 1556–1605)
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Medium
gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Measurements
Overall: 20.3 x 14 cm (8 x 5 1/2 in.); Painting only: 9.6 x 10 cm (3 3/4 x 3 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.302.b
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

A bear, hiding among the rocks on the left, prepares to drop a stone on a spotted creature below him.

Description

Against a rocky landscape, a lone man raises a pickaxe. Previously, he and his four friends had received shells from a wise man, who claimed they would lead the men to their fortunes. Three of the friends discovered copper, silver, and gold. The fourth man, however, was dissatisfied with the discovery of iron, and his greed ultimately led to his downfall.
A book page features Persian script above and below a central gum tempera painting. It depicts a man with a light skin tone and mustache wearing an orange tunic and white trousers, swinging a dark pickaxe into a hole. Two deer, a goat, and a leopard-like creature in a cave inhabit the multicolored, rocky landscape. Sparse trees grow among the boulders. Thin gold and red lines border the painting.

The fourth man digs at the spot where he dropped the shell, expecting jewels, but discovering mere iron, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-seventh Night

c. 1560

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

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