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The goldsmith and the carpenter inform the king of a dream in which the golden images plan to desert the city for lack of worshippers, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Third Night
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
In this story, a goldsmith and a carpenter plan to steal a city’s idols by convincing the king that they have left on their own. They appear before the king, who addresses them from beneath a parasol in the lower register. The two golden idols sit in a shrine in the upper register.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineThe goldsmith and the carpenter inform the king of a dream in which the golden images plan to desert the city for lack of worshippers, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Third 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: 16.5 x 10.4 cm (6 1/2 x 4 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry, 1962.279.20.a
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