CC0 · no rights reserved
The king of the Ocean, having assumed human form, arrives at the court of the Raja, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eleventh Night
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
His hands raised in a gesture of respectful greeting, the Raja got down from his throne to welcome the king of the ocean, wearing a crown with white flowers. At the left, the Brahman holds a rosary in his hands. The raja wears the clothing and turban favored by Emperor Akbar: fine white muslin tunic with long points, pants, and a ready-tied flat turban. The king of the ocean is dressed like the Brahman, with a wrapped lower garment called a dhoti, and he wears a sacred thread over his left shoulder, which is the mark of a high-born Hindu.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineThe king of the Ocean, having assumed human form, arrives at the court of the Raja, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eleventh Night, c. 1560. Ghulam 'Ali (Indian, active 1550s-1590s). Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper; overall: 20 x 14.7 cm (7 7/8 x 5 13/16 in.); painting only: 11.5 x 10.3 cm (4 1/2 x 4 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry, 1962.279.92.a
Similar works
The daughter-in-law returns from her misadventure, feigning insanity, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Sixteenth Night
The Brahman, unable to select from the four gifts of the king of the Ocean seeks the Raja’s advice, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eleventh Night
The false Mansur punished before the judge and expelled from the city, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Seventeenth Night
The dervish brings the King of Kings before the king of Bahilistan, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Seventh Night
The prince sent back to the place of execution for the sixth time, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
The husband berates his wife for purchasing gravel instead of sugar, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night