The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Eighth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)c. 1560 · Study 1962.279.51.b

Context from the museum

On the eighth night, the parrot tells Khujasta a story—the most lavishly illustrated of all the chapters in the book—that has important parallels with the experiences of Emperor Akbar himself. The overarching tale is about a prince who maintained a vow of silence despite being imprisoned and taken to be executed on seven consecutive days. Each day, the king was convinced to stop the execution after hearing a story told by one of his seven viziers, or ministers. The adjacent paintings illustrate scenes from the overarching tale as well as the fifth vizier's story. The golden sky, purple hills, cyprus tree, and flowering branches are elements learned from Persian painting. Indian sources contributed the bolster that appears to float on the suggestively red-colored plane of the bed.

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

A detail to notice

Banavari 1 also painted folios 49v (1962.279.49.b), 50v (1962.279.50.b), and 52v (1962.279.52.b).

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected painting only measurement for The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Eighth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot) is 9.8 cm wide and 11.4 cm high, equivalent to approximately 3.9 × 4.5 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.86:1. 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 3.3% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 145.1 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 Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Eighth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot) 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 vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 9.8 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?