Artwork

The dervish brings in as dowry an elephant laden with gold, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Seventh Night

The dervish brings in as dowry an elephant laden with gold, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Seventh 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. This painting illustrates a scene from the Tuti-nama, a collection of tales told by a parrot, created for a Mughal emperor.

About this work

Look at the tiny gold coins spilling off the elephant’s back—they’re painted with real gold leaf.

A wild-eyed holy man in a leopard-skin skirt leads a huge elephant piled high with gold. The king sits on a throne, surprised.

This painting comes from a book of parrot tales told to a Mughal emperor. The story is pure fairy-tale logic: a poor dervish outwits everyone to win the princess. Look at the tiny gold coins spilling off the elephant’s back—they’re painted with real gold leaf.

To see more stories like this, look up mughal india, court of akbar (reigned 1556–1605).

Overview

This painting illustrates a scene from the Tuti-nama, a collection of tales told by a parrot, created for a Mughal emperor. It depicts a dervish bringing an elephant laden with gold as dowry to a king.

Subject & Meaning

The scene shows a dervish, dressed in a leopard-skin skirt and adorned with chains, leading an elephant piled high with gold to the king, who sits on a throne in surprise. The story revolves around the dervish's quest to win the princess's hand in marriage.

Technique & Style

The painting features intricate details, including gold coins spilling off the elephant's back, rendered with real gold leaf. The text accompanying the image is written in Persian using the naskh script.

Context

The Tuti-nama was produced during the reign of Akbar (1556–1605), a Mughal emperor known for his patronage of the arts. The story is characteristic of the fantastical and logical narrative style found in fairy tales.