Collection Online as of September 29, 2023

The young man of Baghdad reveals his true identity to the Hashimi, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot: Forty-eighth Night

c. 1560

Part of a set. See all set records

Mughal India, court of Akbar

(reigned 1556–1605)

Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper

Overall: 20.3 x 14 cm (8 x 5 1/2 in.); Painting only: 10.7 x 10.2 cm (4 3/16 x 4 in.)

Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.308.b

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

Two black fish are visible in the swirling waters of the ocean.

Description

At the front of the ship, the young man calls out to the Hashimi, who sits beside the weeping slave girl. Despite their love, the destitute young man had been forced to sell the girl. She is overjoyed to see her long-lost lover and begins to sing so beautifully that the birds, fish, and the ocean itself join in the celebration.

Provenance

?–1959

Estate of Breckinridge Long [1881–1958], Bowie, MD ¹

1959–1962?

(Harry Burke Antiques, Philadelphia, PA)

1959?–1962

(Bernard Brown Agency, Milwaukee, WI, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Purchased with funds from Mrs. A. Dean [Helen Wade Greene] Perry)

1962–

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Provenance Footnotes

¹Samuel Miller Breckinridge Long (May 16, 1881–September 26, 1958) was an American diplomat and politician, who served in the administrations of Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Long is largely remembered for his obstructionist role as the Assistant Secretary of State responsible for granting refugee visas during World War II. His interests included the collection of antiques, paintings and American ship models. He maintained a stable of Thoroughbred race horses and was a director of the Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland, and he enjoyed fox hunting, fishing, and sailing.

Citations

Chandra, Pramod, and Daniel J. Ehnbom. The Cleveland Tuti-Nama Manuscript and the Origins of Mughal Painting. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1976. pp. 79, 147

Exhibition history

Indian Miniature Rotation (Gallery 115); February 4 - August 5, 2003.

Indian Miniature Rotation (Gallery 115); February 20 - August 18, 2004.