The king plucks fruit from the Tree of Life with his own hands and feeds it to a lady, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Ninth Night Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)

The king plucks fruit from the Tree of Life with his own hands and feeds it to a lady, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Ninth Night

c. 1560

Suraju

(Indian)

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

gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

Painting only: 7.7 x 10.1 cm (3 1/16 x 4 in.); Overall: 20 x 13.4 cm (7 7/8 x 5 1/4 in.)

Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.79.a

Location: not on view

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Did You Know?

Black pom-poms on the woman's shoes, braid, and jewelry indicate the ends of ties.

Description

In order to prevent his own execution, the loyal parrot must prove to the king that the fruit of the Tree of Life is not poisonous. When the fruit restores the youth of an old man, the parrot is vindicated. He watches from his cage, alongside other members of the court, as the king happily picks from the tree.