Artwork
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
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 is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1560 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
It depicts a young woman in a red garment standing beside a wolf within a garden, while four colorfully dressed men brandish weapons and gesture toward her.
The work, titled *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*, is a painted narrative scene. It depicts a young woman in a red garment standing beside a wolf within a garden, while four colorfully dressed men brandish weapons and gesture toward her. Tall foliage and flying birds frame the action, suggesting an outdoor setting.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents a moment from the Persian literary collection *Tuti‑nama*, in which a merchant’s daughter, bound by a promise, confronts danger on her journey to a gardener. The presence of the wolf beside her implies a protective or symbolic role, while the armed men are interpreted as bandits threatening her progress. The juxtaposition of fear and resolve underscores themes of loyalty and peril in the tale.
Technique & Style
Executed in a painted medium, the image employs vivid coloration—most notably the woman’s red dress and the multicolored attire of the men—to differentiate figures and convey narrative tension. The foliage is rendered with broad, gestural brushwork, creating a sense of depth, while the birds are suggested with quick, linear strokes that convey movement.
Context
The scene derives from the *Tuti‑nama* ("Tales of a Parrot"), a collection of moral stories popular in Persian and Ottoman courts. The episode labeled “Twelfth Night” reflects the tradition of illustrating literary episodes for didactic or decorative purposes, often displayed in domestic or courtly settings.
Legacy
Works illustrating *Tuti‑nama* narratives contribute to the visual record of Persian storytelling traditions. By portraying a female protagonist confronting danger, the painting offers insight into gendered representations of virtue and bravery in the period’s narrative art.
Artist & collection
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
The daughter-in-law of the king of Banaras sees the jackal deprived of its food by a bird, as it unsuccessfully attempts to catch a fish, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Sixteenth Night
The young prince is crowned and the wicked handmaiden is executed, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
The prince, once reprieved, is returned to the palace of execution a second time on the plea of the king’s handmaiden, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
The hunter throws away the baby parrots, who pretend to be dead, and captures the mother, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifth 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 wolf and the jackal, serving as viziers, instigate the lion who pursues the Brahman up a tree, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-first Night
The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Twelfth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)