Arkivism
The princess discovers the dead bodies, with heads severed, of her husband and his Brahman friend, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-fourth Night
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The princess discovers the dead bodies, with heads severed, of her husband and his Brahman friend, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-fourth Night

c. 1560 · gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

The frantic princess stands above the bodies of her husband, dressed in orange, and the Brahman. Both men have died by their own hand. They are miraculously resurrected after the princess places each head on the wrong body. Because of this mix-up, the men begin to fight over who should be considered the princess’s rightful husband.

Cleveland Museum of Art’s own description
Credit lineThe princess discovers the dead bodies, with heads severed, of her husband and his Brahman friend, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-fourth Night, c. 1560. Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605). Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper; overall: 20.3 x 13.4 cm (8 x 5 1/4 in.); painting only: 17.7 x 10.3 cm (6 15/16 x 4 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry, 1962.279.229.b

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