Artwork Page for The unfaithful wife explaining away the presence of the dough elephant, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night

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The unfaithful wife explaining away the presence of the dough elephant, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth 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: 11.5 x 9.9 cm (4 1/2 x 3 7/8 in.); Overall: 20 x 14.4 cm (7 7/8 x 5 11/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.62.b
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

The wife wears Indian dress, but the husband wears Central Asian Mughal dress.

Description

A woman who has just committed adultery on the way to bring her husband his meal must explain why she fashioned his pastry into the shape of an elephant. She was not aware that her lover’s son had done this, but thinking quickly, she explained that she had a dream that eating the elephant would protect him from danger. He accepts this lie and thanks his wife for her kindness.
A vertically oriented tempera painting depicts a man in a pink tunic and a woman in purple seated on a brick ledge. Between them rests a bowl holding a golden elephant figurine. Behind them, a large leafy tree and a slender cypress grow on a green hill under a blue sky with white, swirling clouds. Four lines of black script are written above the scene, which is bordered by thin red and gold lines.

The unfaithful wife explaining away the presence of the dough elephant, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night

c. 1560

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

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