Collection Online as of June 25, 2022

The creatures of the sea are asked by the king of the Ocean to take a message to the Brahman, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eleventh Night

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: 7.3 x 10.1 cm (2 7/8 x 4 in.)

Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.89.b

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

The sea dragon is chief of the many species under the Ocean King’s command.

Description

The creatures of the sea, by turn, refuse to convey the king of the ocean’s acceptance of the wedding invitation to the Brahman. The sea dragon in the upper right is concerned that he will frighten people, so he volunteered the whale. The whale said that he has no legs to walk on land, so volunteered the turtle. The turtle said he would be too slow and would never make it on time. The crab feared he would not be taken seriously, and the crocodile said that he is too rough and vulgar for the job. The frog agreed to go.

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, 110

Nakhshabī, Z̤iyāʼ al-Dīn, and Muhammed Ahmed Simsar. Tales of a Parrot = The Cleveland Museum of Art's Ṭūṭīnāma. Cleveland: The Museum, 1978. pp. 82-89

Exhibition history

Animal Fables of India (Indian art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 12-August 29, 2021).