Artwork
A woman asks her lover to leave her house, brandishing his sword and feigning rage in order to deceive her husband who has just arrived, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
A woman asks her lover to leave her house, brandishing his sword and feigning rage in order to deceive her husband who has just arrived, 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. The work depicts a dramatic domestic scene drawn from the eighth night of the *Tuti‑nama* (Tales of a Parrot).
About this work
Overview
The background includes two striped tents and a sky dotted with floating specks, adding a decorative backdrop to the narrative.
The work depicts a dramatic domestic scene drawn from the eighth night of the *Tuti‑nama* (Tales of a Parrot). Three male figures dominate the composition, each rendered in vivid, contrasting hues: a red‑clad man gesturing outside, a blue‑clad figure brandishing a sword near a doorway, and an orange‑dressed man seated within a richly patterned screen. The background includes two striped tents and a sky dotted with floating specks, adding a decorative backdrop to the narrative.
Subject & Meaning
The painting illustrates a moment of deception: a woman conceals her lover by having him feign anger, brandishing his sword to mislead her newly arrived husband. The blue‑clad lover’s exaggerated rage serves as a ruse, while the husband, represented by the red figure outside, remains unaware of the subterfuge. The scene captures themes of intrigue, loyalty, and the performative aspects of social roles within the tale.
Technique & Style
Executed in bright, saturated pigments, the artist employs bold color blocks to differentiate the characters and emphasize their emotional states. Linear outlines define the figures and architectural elements, while the patterned screen and tent fabrics display intricate decorative motifs. The floating dots in the sky suggest a stylized, perhaps symbolic, atmosphere rather than realistic perspective, aligning the work with illustrative traditions of Persian narrative painting.
Context
The composition derives from the *Tuti‑nama*, a collection of Persian stories traditionally illustrated for courtly audiences. Such narrative paintings were used to convey moral lessons and entertain, often featuring dramatic episodes from love and intrigue. The work reflects the broader cultural practice of visual storytelling in medieval Islamic art, where vivid coloration and detailed ornamentation reinforced the textual source.
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
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page
The three young men present themselves as suitors for the hand of Zuhra, the daughter of the merchant of Kabul, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-fourth Night
The prince’s ordeal continues, he is ordered away to be executed for the fifth time, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Eighth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
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