The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Twenty-ninth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)

c. 1560

The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Twenty-ninth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot), c. 1560. Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605). Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper; painting only: 9.7 x 10 cm (3 13/16 x 3 15/16 in.); overall: 20 x 14.2 cm (7 7/8 x 5 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.192.a Khujasta consults with the talking parrot Tuti before leaving to meet with her lover. The shrewd bird begins to tell her the story of a lynx who successfully saved himself from a lion. By the time the story ends, it is too late for Khujasta to leave for her rendezvous. Two pieces of blue and white Chinese porcelain are visible in niches in Khujasta’s room.