The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 16, 2024

The two erring cooks, dressed as maidservants, fall at the prince’s feet and beg forgiveness, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of the Parrot): Fourth Night

The two erring cooks, dressed as maidservants, fall at the prince’s feet and beg forgiveness, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of the Parrot): Fourth Night

c. 1560
(reigned 1556–1605)
gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Painting only: 5.2 x 10.5 cm (2 1/16 x 4 1/8 in.); Overall: 20 x 14.7 cm (7 7/8 x 5 13/16 in.)
Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.30.a
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Despite their disguises, the prince recognizes the two cooks.

Description

Seated on a fine stool in the center, the king is astonished to receive his two handsome cooks, whom he had sent to seduce his soldier’s faithful wife. After she trapped them and kept them prisoner for weeks until the arrival of the king, she shaved their heads and forced them to dress as female servants to shame them for testing her fidelity.

Some folios in this manuscript were altered from their original compositions, creating discoloration in many areas. The yellow background was changed to lavender, the legs of the stool were shortened, and the king’s bolster lowered. The manuscript’s patron, the Mughal emperor Akbar, brought artists from many regions of India to work in his court, and some of their compositions and color choices were updated, apparently after they learned of Akbar’s stylistic preferences. This important manuscript, which is almost entirely in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection, is critical for understanding the early development of Mughal painting.
  • ?–1959
    Estate of Breckinridge Long [1881–1958], Bowie, MD
    1959–1962?
    (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, OH
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 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. pp. 79, 88
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 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.
  • Supernatural Love - Indian Gallery 242 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (April 1-September 9, 2019).
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 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.
  • {{cite web|title=The two erring cooks, dressed as maidservants, fall at the prince’s feet and beg forgiveness, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of the Parrot): Fourth Night|url=false|author=|year=c. 1560|access-date=16 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 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.

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1962.279.30.a