Artwork
The farmer, father of the son with the deceitful wife, steals away with her anklet while she is in bed with her lover, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
The farmer, father of the son with the deceitful wife, steals away with her anklet while she is in bed with her lover, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1560 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
The work, titled *The farmer, father of the son with the deceitful wife, steals away with her anklet while she is in bed with her lover*, depicts a nocturnal episode from the eighth night of the Persian narrative collection *Tuti‑nama* (Tales of a Parrot). A man slips quietly from a richly appointed chamber, clutching a small object that appears to be an anklet, while a sleeping woman lies beside her lover, oblivious to the theft. The scene is framed by an interior of patterned carpets, gilded pillows and a red canopy, opening onto a garden vista with a lantern‑bearing servant and a pavilion.
Subject & Meaning
The painting illustrates a moment of covert betrayal within a moral tale, emphasizing themes of infidelity, deception, and the consequences of secret actions. By focusing on the thief’s furtive exit and the unsuspecting couple, the composition underscores the tension between public appearance and private vice that characterizes many stories in the *Tuti‑nama*.
Technique & Style
Rendered in a detailed, narrative style, the artist employs a rich palette of reds, golds, and earth tones to convey the opulence of the interior and the twilight atmosphere outside. Fine brushwork delineates the intricate carpet patterns and the delicate folds of the canopy, while the figures are modeled with a subtle chiaroscuro that highlights the clandestine mood.
History & Provenance
The painting is part of the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Its acquisition history reflects the museum’s interest in Persian narrative art, though specific details of its earlier ownership and dating remain limited in the public record.
Artist & collection
The deceitful wife persuades her husband to sleep in the same place where she had previously slept with her lover, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
Shahr-Arai and her lover dallying on a bed beneath which is concealed her husband, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fortieth Night
The deceitful wife ejects the procuress after blackening her face, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
The deceitful wife assaults her erring husband, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
The snake, hidden in a basket of flowers, reveals himself to the Raja who has just sent away his wife, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-third Night
The pious man’s son, now a king, reveals himself to his father; his nurse upbraids his unfaithful mother, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifty-second Night
The two cooks, who attempt to seduce the warrior’s loyal wife, are trapped by her in a cellar, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fourth Night
Khalis repays the prince for his kindness by changing into a snake and sucking the poison from the king’s daughter, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighteenth Night
Shahr-Arai’s husband bends to kiss his wife who feigns sleep, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fortieth Night
The prince sent back to the place of execution for the sixth time, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night