Artwork
The merchant’s daughter meets the gardener, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twelfth Night
The merchant’s daughter meets the gardener, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twelfth 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 depicts a small group gathered beneath a leafy canopy, featuring five women in vivid, patterned garments and a man in a pink shirt with white trousers. One woman in red extends her hand, another in blue holds a fan, while the male figure steadies a flowering branch. A low brick wall and dense foliage frame the scene, giving it the appearance of a narrative illustration.
Subject & Meaning
The composition illustrates a moment from the Persian literary collection known as the Tuti‑nama, specifically a scene titled “The merchant’s daughter meets the gardener” from the tale of Twelfth Night. The characters are engaged in a courteous encounter, suggesting themes of social interaction and courtship within the story’s broader moral framework.
Technique & Style
Rendered in a bright palette, the painting employs flat areas of color and intricate decorative patterns on the women’s attire, characteristic of manuscript illustration traditions. The figures are outlined with fine lines, and the background foliage is stylized rather than naturalistic, emphasizing narrative clarity over spatial realism.
History & Provenance
The piece is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection of Persian illustrated manuscripts. Its exact date and creator are not recorded in the provided information, but it aligns with the production of illustrated books in the Safavid period, when such narrative scenes were commonly copied for elite patrons.
Context
Illustrations like this served both decorative and didactic purposes, accompanying poetic texts that conveyed ethical lessons. The Tuti‑nama, a collection of moral tales, was widely circulated in the Islamic world, and its visual renditions helped readers visualize the stories during private or courtly readings.
Artist & collection
The rejuvenated old man and the daughter of the king of the jinns take leave of the King of Kings, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Seventh Night
The king plucks fruit from the Tree of Life with his own hands and feeds it to a lady, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Ninth Night
Kaiwan sends a message of love to Khurshid, wife of his brother Utarid who is away on a journey, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-second Night
The prince and Nikfal are joined by Khalis and the Mukhlis who are the grateful snake and frog in human form, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighteenth Night
The daughter of the merchant of Mazanderan asks the gardener for the rose, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twelfth Night
The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Twelfth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
The merchant’s daughter encounters a wolf and bandits on her way to meet the gardener in order to keep her promise, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twelfth Night