Collection Online as of October 17, 2021

The deceitful wife assaults her erring husband, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night

c. 1560

Part of a set. See all set records

Tara 1

(Indian, active 1550s-1590s)

Mughal India, court of Akbar

(reigned 1556–1605)

Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

Painting only: 14.8 x 10.3 cm (5 13/16 x 4 1/16 in.); Overall: 20 x 13.6 cm (7 7/8 x 5 3/8 in.)

Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.60.b

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

Both the brothel madam and one of the customers in the courtyard bite the index finger in a gesture of surprise.

Description

A merchant’s wife carries on affairs while her husband is away. On the journey home, the merchant buys a woman’s company for the night. His own wife answers the call. When the merchant’s identity is revealed, the wife attacks him in order to distract from her own indiscretions. Townspeople surrounding the merchant’s chamber look on at the sound of the assault.

Inscriptions

Inscription

tārā

Inscription Translation

(by) Tara

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.

p. 100

Chandra, Pramod, and Daniel J. Ehnbom. The Cleveland Tuti-Nama Manuscript and the Origins of Mughal Painting. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1976. p. 100

McCloskey, Robert. More Homer Price: From Centerburg Tales. New York: Scholastic Book Services, 1963. Trans. pp. 55–68

Seyller, John. “Overpainting in the Cleveland T̤ūtīnāma.” Artibus Asiae 52, no. 3/4 (1992): 283-318. p. 311 www.jstor.org