Collection Online as of January 21, 2021

The monkey slain, his blood to be used as medicine for the ailing prince he has bitten, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifth Night

c. 1560

Part of a set. See all set records

Basavana

(Indian, active c. 1560–1600)

India, Mughal, Reign of Akbar, 16th century

Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

Overall: 20.3 x 14 cm (8 x 5 1/2 in.); Painting only: 10.3 x 10.6 cm (4 1/16 x 4 3/16 in.)

Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.33.b

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

Under the covers is the hand that got infected from the monkey bite.

Description

Wounded by the chess-playing monkey’s bite, the prince’s hand became increasingly infected. The only cure, his doctors said, was to apply the blood of the monkey to the wound and let it dry. Reluctantly, the prince allowed the monkey to be killed. Two men accomplish this serious work at the left. In the right margin is written the name of the artist, the celebrated Basavana. The Tuti-nama contains the earliest known paintings by the prolific master who was instrumental in shaping the Mughal painting style over subsequent decades.

Inscriptions

Inscription

'amal basāwan

Inscription Translation

the work of Basavanta

Basavana

Indian miniaturist, active ca. 1556-1600

Provenance

Estate of Breckenridge Long, Bowie, MD, 1959; Harry Burke Antiques, Philadelphia, PA; Bernard Brown, Milwaukee, WI;

Citations

Seyller, John William, and W. M. Thackston. The Adventures of Hamza: Painting and Storytelling in Mughal India. Washington, DC: Freer Gallery of Art, 2002. exh. cat. no. 10, pp. 68-69

Exhibition history

The Adventures of Hamza. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (March 6-June 8, 2003); Museum Rietberg, Zürich, CH 8002 Zürich, Switzerland (June 28-October 21, 2003).

Streams and Mountains Without End: Asian Art and the Legacy of Sherman E. Lee at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 27-August 23, 2009).

Art and Stories from Mughal India. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 31-October 23, 2016).