Cleveland Museum of Art

The goldsmith judged; the bear cubs trained by the carpenter as though they were his sons, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Third Night

Date

c. 1560

Medium

gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

Culture

Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)

Department

Indian and Southeast Asian Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

In the upper-left corner, the goldsmith and the carpenter have dinner with their wives and children. The greedy goldsmith has robbed the carpenter who, in revenge, abducts the goldsmith’s sons and replaces them with two bear cubs. Below, the bears rub their faces against the goldsmith’s sleeves, proving to the judge that they must be the man’s transformed children. After the goldsmith returned the stolen goods, his sons were given back.

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