Collection Online as of February 1, 2023
The parrot addresses Khujasta at the beginning of the fortieth night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
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: 8.9 x 10.1 cm (3 1/2 x 4 in.)
Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.258.a
Location
not on view
Fun Fact
A highly corrosive copper green pigment, called verdigris, has darkened and damaged the paper.
Description
As Khujasta prepares to leave to spend the night with her lover, she is stopped by Tuti the parrot. Tuti begins to tell her the story of a merchant’s wife, named Shahr-Arai, who tricked her husband in order to carry out an affair. The story is set in Nishapur, a city in northeast Iran.