The court jester meets a Zangi dancing with joy, and learns from him that the cause of his happiness is his assignation with a woman who is the jester’s own wife, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-second Nightc. 1560 · Study 1962.279.155.a

Context from the museum

In the opening scene of the parrot’s bawdy story about a jester, who is shown wearing green on his way to perform at the court of the emir, he came upon an Ethiopian, known as Zangi, dancing by the side of the road. When he learned that the Zangi was overjoyed because he was planning to meet his beloved, the jester’s own wife, the jester was so distraught he was unable to perform, and the emir threw him in prison. The artist depicted the Zangi as described in the text as semi-wild with caricatured physical traits, uncovered head, and little clothing.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

The tale references stereotypes about Africans that were current in India and Iran when the text was written.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected painting only measurement for The court jester meets a Zangi dancing with joy, and learns from him that the cause of his happiness is his assignation with a woman who is the jester’s own wife, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-second Night is 10.2 cm wide and 6.1 cm high, equivalent to approximately 4.0 × 2.4 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.67:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.01 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 3.4% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 144.9 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With The court jester meets a Zangi dancing with joy, and learns from him that the cause of his happiness is his assignation with a woman who is the jester’s own wife, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-second Night in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 10.2 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?