Artwork Page for Seven men disputing possession of a woman bring her before the Tree of Justice into which she is absorbed, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Sixth Night

Details / Information for Seven men disputing possession of a woman bring her before the Tree of Justice into which she is absorbed, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Sixth Night

Seven men disputing possession of a woman bring her before the Tree of Justice into which she is absorbed, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Sixth 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: 10.4 x 9.8 cm (4 1/8 x 3 7/8 in.); Overall: 20 x 14.3 cm (7 7/8 x 5 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.42.a
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

A few tools, such as a hammer and an axe, designate the men’s professions.

Description

Talking trees that predict the future or administer justice recur in medieval Indo-Iranian literature. Here, the blossoming Tree of Justice settled a dispute. Seven different men wanted to marry a woman who had been carved as a wooden statue by the carpenter (lower right in red) and brought to life by the holy man (lower left in green). A sliver of the woman’s body is seen merging with the trunk. The Tree of Justice decided to absorb her, and as she disappeared the tree proclaimed: “Everything must revert to its own origin.”
A book page features Persian script in horizontal bands at the top and bottom, with a painting between them depicting seven men with light and medium-dark skin tones standing before a large tree. The men wear colorful tunics and turbans; many hold their fingers to their mouths. On our left, a woman in an orange garment is partially visible within the tree trunk. Behind them, textured purple hills rise within the golden-bordered landscape.

Seven men disputing possession of a woman bring her before the Tree of Justice into which she is absorbed, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Sixth Night

c. 1560

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

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