Artwork
The young man changes himself to look like Mansur, and thus inveigles himself into the bed of Mansur’s wife, but is put off by her, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Seventeenth Night
The young man changes himself to look like Mansur, and thus inveigles himself into the bed of Mansur’s wife, but is put off by her, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Seventeenth Night is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1560 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work illustrates a scene from the seventeenth night of the Persian illustrated manuscript known as the Tuti‑nama, or Tales of a Parrot.
About this work
Overview
The work illustrates a scene from the seventeenth night of the Persian illustrated manuscript known as the Tuti‑nama, or Tales of a Parrot. Executed as a miniature painting, it portrays a young man and a woman seated on a bed, engaged in quiet dialogue. The composition is framed by vivid floral motifs in red and blue, and a modest window appears on the left side of the picture.
Subject & Meaning
The narrative shows a young man who has altered his appearance to resemble a man named Mansur, hoping to gain access to Mansur’s wife. The woman, however, seems reluctant, suggesting a moment of tension within the story’s moral lesson about deception and desire.
Technique & Style
Rendered in the traditional Persian miniature style, the painting employs delicate brushwork and a rich palette of yellows, oranges, whites, reds, and blues. Intricate ornamental borders and stylised floral patterns frame the figures, while the small object held by the man is depicted with fine detail, characteristic of courtly manuscript illustration.
History & Provenance
The miniature is a component of the larger Tuti‑nama manuscript, a celebrated example of Safavid-era book art. It is presently part of the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it has been displayed as part of the museum’s holdings of Persian illustrated texts.
Artist & collection
Three suitors fight amongst themselves for the hand of the devotee’s daughter, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twentieth Night
The eldest brother explains the reason for his youthful appearance, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-ninth Night
The marriage of ‘Ubaid, son of a merchant of Tirmiz, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-second 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
The prince, with the help of Mukhlis who changes into a frog, recovers the ring lost in the sea, and returns it to the king, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighteenth Night