The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 1, 2022

The parrot addresses Khujasta at the beginning of the thirty-eighth night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)

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: 9.2 x 10.3 cm (3 5/8 x 4 1/16 in.)

Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.248.a

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

A golden mirror lies on Khujasta’s bed.

Description

Before Khujasta can leave for a clandestine meeting with her lover, she is stopped by Tuti the parrot who begins to tell her the story of a group of small animals who joined together to overcome an elephant. By the time the parrot’s tale is over, the sun has risen and Khujasta is unable to leave.

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, 140
Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1962.279.248.a