Artwork
The destitute Mukhtar meets his wife Maimuna at a holy shrine, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-fifth Night
The destitute Mukhtar meets his wife Maimuna at a holy shrine, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-fifth Night is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1560 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work depicts a brief episode from a narrative illustration, showing a modest gathering beneath a pavilion with a red roof.
About this work
Overview
The work depicts a brief episode from a narrative illustration, showing a modest gathering beneath a pavilion with a red roof. Central figures include a woman in yellow, a small boy clutching a stick, another woman in red holding an infant, and a seated man in a blue‑green turban. A tower and a patterned dome rise in the distance, while the sky remains muted.
Subject & Meaning
The scene portrays Mukhtar, a destitute man, meeting his wife Maimuna at a sacred shrine, a moment drawn from the twenty‑fifth night of the Persian tale collection Tuti‑nama (Tales of a Parrot). The boy’s solemn gaze and the woman’s attentive gesture suggest an exchange of news or reassurance within the context of the story’s moral lesson.
Technique & Style
Rendered in vivid pigments, the composition relies on strong primary hues—reds, yellows, and blues—that contrast with a subdued background. The figures are outlined with clear contours, and decorative elements such as the patterned dome and pavilion roof reflect a stylized, narrative miniature tradition rather than naturalistic representation.
History & Provenance
The painting originates from a manuscript illustration of the Tuti‑nama, a popular Persian literary work that circulated in the 16th‑17th centuries. It entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art through acquisition of a larger manuscript album, though the precise date of creation and original patron remain undocumented.
Context
Illustrations like this served both decorative and didactic purposes, accompanying textual passages that guided readers through moral stories. The depiction of a holy shrine underscores the religious and cultural setting of the tale, while the domestic figures reflect everyday life in the Persianate world.
Artist & collection
The merchant hears of his wife’s unfaithfulness (above); the unfaithful wife performs penance by plucking her hair (below), from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): First Night
The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Twenty-seventh Night, form a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Thirtieth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Twenty-Fourth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Twenty-ninth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
The daughter-in-law of the king of Banaras, charmed by the music of a vagabond, comes down to meet him, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Sixteenth Night
The son of the king of Babylon sees the Brahman transformed into a woman bathing and falls in love with her, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-fifth 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
The princess discovers the dead bodies, with heads severed, of her husband and his Brahman friend, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-fourth Night
A Man Dips His Hand into a Cauldron as Ladies of the Harem Stand in Amazement: A Page from a Manuscript of Religious History
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page
The magician, disguised as a Brahman, visits the king of Babylon, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-fifth Night
Bashir confides his love for Habbaza to an Arab friend, and sends him to her with a message, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-fourth Night