The king dreams of a lady, the personification of wealth, departing from him on account of his purchasing a bowl and a staff from a yogi, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-sixth Night

c. 1560

The king dreams of a lady, the personification of wealth, departing from him on account of his purchasing a bowl and a staff from a yogi, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-sixth Night, c. 1560. 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: 10.1 x 10.2 cm (4 x 4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.239.b The sleeping king lies sprawled across a bed with the bowl and staff at his side. These inauspicious purchases represent his impending loss of wealth. He allows the woman to leave and, upon waking, finds that all of his possessions have disappeared. The king experiences three more dreams, representing his strength, reason, and good deeds.