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The pious man’s son, now a king, reveals himself to his father; his nurse upbraids his unfaithful mother, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifty-second Night
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About this work
The young man throws himself at his overjoyed father’s feet. As a boy, he was nearly killed by his treacherous mother, who hoped to please her lover. The nurse, learning of her plan, took the child and fled to safety. In the intervening years, he killed a dragon, married a princess, and became a king. The king’s success is attributed to a magical, seven-colored bird’s head, which he ate as a child.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineThe pious man’s son, now a king, reveals himself to his father; his nurse upbraids his unfaithful mother, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifty-second 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: 8.7 x 10 cm (3 7/16 x 3 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry, 1962.279.340.a
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