The hunter offers the mother parrot to the king of Kamarupa, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifth Night

c. 1560

Basavana

(Indian, active c. 1560–1600)

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Culture

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

Medium

gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

Measurements

Overall: 20 x 14.3 cm (7 7/8 x 5 5/8 in.); Painting only: 10.2 x 10.7 cm (4 x 4 3/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.36.b

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

This leper king ruled a territory that stretched from Bhutan to Assam and Bengal.

Description

The king of Kamarupa, which ironically means “body of erotic love,” had leprosy. The hunter brought the captured mother parrot to the king, assuring him that the bird knew a cure. The lavish use of gold indicates that this book was a costly production. The figure of the hunter reveals the talents of the artist Basavana, whose name is written in the right margin. Draped in rustic garments shaded to appear softly flowing, the hunter bends forward with a subtle look of shrewd expectancy as the king seems ready to pay a high price for the parrot. The billowing red curtain is one of Basavana’s signature motifs. Beyond is a tantalizing glimpse of the forest to which the parrot will soon escape to rejoin her children.