Cleveland Museum of Art

The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Twelfth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)

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

Every night for 52 nights the sly domesticated parrot encourages his master's wife Khujasta to meet her lover under cover of darkness. Just before she leaves, he mentions a topic from a tantalizing tale; she becomes so curious that she cannot go out before hearing the whole story. By the time the story ends, dawn breaks, and it is too late for her to go out unnoticed. The gold sky and geometric tile patterns are derived from Persian sources while Khujasta's figure shown in profile and style of dress are purely Indian. The artist has chosen to tilt the carpet up in defiance of realistic perspective to show off the fine arabesque motif. The checkered bedspread calls attention to the empty bed and Khujasta's longing to be with her lover. The gauzy fabric that Khujasta wears over her sari is called an odhani .

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