The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 20, 2024
The wolf advises the lion to consult the cat, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifteenth Night
c. 1560
(reigned 1556–1605)
Overall: 20.3 x 14 cm (8 x 5 1/2 in.); Painting only: 6 x 10.3 cm (2 3/8 x 4 1/16 in.)
Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.114.a
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
The same word is used in Persian for both “lion” and “tiger.”Description
The painting depicts an old tiger, crouching under a tree by a stream looking plaintively at a wolf, with whom he has just shared his troubles with the mice. The wolf suggested that the cat be called to eliminate the mice. The cat has dutifully arrived and requests that he be given the position of Magistrate of the Court, to which the lion agreed. The cat instilled fear in the mice; they dispersed, and the lion was content. Wisely, however, the cat treated the mice with consideration and did not exterminate them completely, so that he would not eliminate the cause of his usefulness. Although the rocky landscape is heavily shaded in a technique that gives them a soft quality, and the leaves of the tree are each outlined in gold, the lack of any actual shadows from an identifiable light source provides a timeless appearance to the scene.- ?–1959Estate of Breckinridge Long [1881–1958], Bowie, MD1959–1962?(Harry Burke Antiques, Philadelphia, PA)1959?–1962(Bernard Brown Agency, Milwaukee, WI, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Purchased with funds from Mrs. A. Dean [Helen Wade Greene] Perry)1962–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OHProvenance Footnotes1 Samuel Miller Breckinridge Long (May 16, 1881–September 26, 1958) was an American diplomat and politician, who served in the administrations of Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Long is largely remembered for his obstructionist role as the Assistant Secretary of State responsible for granting refugee visas during World War II. His interests included the collection of antiques, paintings and American ship models. He maintained a stable of Thoroughbred race horses and was a director of the Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland, and he enjoyed fox hunting, fishing, and sailing.
- Chandra, Pramod, and Daniel J. Ehnbom. The Cleveland Tuti-Nama Manuscript and the Origins of Mughal Painting. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1976. p. 115Chandra, Pramod, and Daniel J. Ehnbom. The Cleveland Tuti-Nama Manuscript and the Origins of Mughal Painting. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1976. pp. 79. 115
- Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 245); July 2, 2014 - January 5, 2015.
- {{cite web|title=The wolf advises the lion to consult the cat, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifteenth Night|url=false|author=|year=c. 1560|access-date=20 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1962.279.114.a