Artwork

King Bahram, who has married Khassa’s daughter, has her tied to a camel to be abandoned in the desert as a result of false accusations made by Khulasa, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifty-first Night

King Bahram, who has married Khassa’s daughter, has her tied to a camel to be abandoned in the desert as a result of false accusations made by Khulasa, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifty-first Night is an unspecified painting by the Mughal Painting artist Unknown. It dates from 1560 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The painting illustrates a dramatic episode from the fifty‑first night of the Tuti‑nama, a collection of Persian tales narrated by a parrot.

About this work

The painting comes from a book of stories told by a parrot to delay a wife’s betrayal.

You see a king on a tall throne, pointing as soldiers tie his wife to a camel. The camel kneels in the center, surrounded by men in turbans and rich robes. One man pleads with the king, hands pressed together.

The painting comes from a book of stories told by a parrot to delay a wife’s betrayal. This scene shows a false accusation—revenge for a rejected advance. The bright colors and tiny details are typical of art made for Emperor Akbar’s court.

To see more like this, look up court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605).

Overview

The painting illustrates a dramatic episode from the fifty‑first night of the Tuti‑nama, a collection of Persian tales narrated by a parrot. In the scene, a king seated on an elevated throne commands that his wife be abandoned in the desert, tied to a camel, after she is falsely accused of adultery.

Subject & Meaning

The narrative centers on a rejected vizier, Khulasa, who, after failing to seduce the queen, alleges her infidelity to the monarch. A pleading court official urges the king to spare her life, highlighting themes of jealousy, false accusation, and the peril of courtly intrigue.

Technique & Style

Executed in vivid pigments, the work features intricate detailing of turbans, robes, and the camel’s posture. The composition emphasizes verticality through the king’s tall throne and the kneeling animal, while the crowded foreground conveys the tension of the moment, characteristic of Mughal court paintings produced under Emperor Akbar.

History & Provenance

The image originates from a manuscript created for the court of Akbar (r. 1556–1605), reflecting the imperial workshop’s penchant for richly colored narrative scenes. The painting remains part of the illustrated Tuti‑nama, a text used to entertain and moralize through parrot‑told stories.

Context

Mughal artists frequently illustrated Persian literary sources, adapting their motifs to suit the aesthetic preferences of the Indian imperial court. This work exemplifies the synthesis of Persian storytelling with the detailed naturalism and decorative brilliance favored in Akbar’s atelier.