The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 27, 2022

The king of Zabul sees Mahrusa from his palace balcony, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-sixth Night

c. 1560

Part of a set. See all set records

Mughal India, court of Akbar

(reigned 1556–1605)

Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

Overall: 20.3 x 14 cm (8 x 5 1/2 in.); Painting only: 8.8 x 10.2 cm (3 7/16 x 4 in.)

Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.241.a

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

Gold flames issue from the king’s shoulders suggesting both his royal glory and passionate love.

Description

The king peers into the courtyard from the balcony of his palace. Upon seeing Mahrusa, he is immediately captivated by her beauty and falls deeply in love despite his vizier’s attempts to keep them apart. The king is so enamored with Mahrusa that he becomes lovesick and ultimately dies.

Provenance
Estate of Breckenridge Long, Bowie, MD, 1959; Harry Burke Antiques, Philadelphia, PA; Bernard Brown, Milwaukee, WI;
Citations
Chandra, Pramod, and Daniel J. Ehnbom. The Cleveland Tuti-Nama Manuscript and the Origins of Mughal Painting. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1976. pp. 79, 139
Seyller, John. “Overpainting in the Cleveland T̤ūtīnāma.” Artibus Asiae 52, no. 3/4 (1992): 283-318. p. 318 www.jstor.org
Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1962.279.241.a