Artwork

The handmaiden again appeals for justice and the prince is led to the place of execution for the third time, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night

The handmaiden again appeals for justice and the prince is led to the place of execution for the third time, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night is an unspecified painting by the Patna School of Painting artist Gujarati. It dates from 1560 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

The prince’s vow of silence makes his fate hang on the words of others—a tense moment frozen in bright colors and fine details.

You see a crowded court scene: a prince kneels, hands tied, while a woman pleads with a king. Above them, another woman watches from a balcony. The prince stays silent, waiting for execution.

This painting is from a *Tuti-nama*, a collection of parrot-told stories meant to entertain and teach. The prince’s vow of silence makes his fate hang on the words of others—a tense moment frozen in bright colors and fine details.

To see more works like this, look up mughal india, court of akbar (reigned 1556–1605).

Overview

This painting, titled 'The handmaiden again appeals for justice and the prince is led to the place of execution for the third time,' is an illustration from the Tuti-nama, a collection of tales told by a parrot.

Subject & Meaning

The scene depicts a dramatic moment in a court: a prince, bound and silent, awaits execution while a handmaiden pleads his case to the king, and another woman observes from above.

Technique & Style

The composition is characterized by its crowded court scene, rendered in bright colors and fine details, capturing a tense moment in time.

Context

The painting is part of a manuscript tradition associated with the court of Akbar, who reigned in Mughal India from 1556 to 1605.