The dervish brings in as dowry an elephant laden with gold, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): 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: 4.2 x 9.9 cm (1 5/8 x 3 7/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.45.a

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

This painting is attributed to the same unnamed artist who painted folio 27r (CMA 1962.279.27.a).

Description

The eccentric dervish, wearing a fur cap, a leopard-skin skirt, and chains around his neck, chest, and legs, comes to the king with the very thing the king thought he could never provide: an elephant laden with gold in exchange for the princess’s hand in marriage. The dervish had gone to the magnanimous King of Kings—the overlord of this local king—with his plight: in order to marry the princess, he had to provide an elephant laden with gold as a dowry. The King of Kings, who could not resist a good love story, provided it for him. The text of the story is written in Persian in a naskh script, which is read from right to left.