The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Twelfth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)

Also known as: Tuti-Nama (Tales of a Parrot): Tale XII, Khojastah Approaches Tuti; Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): The Twelfth Night: the parrot addresses Khujasta at the beginning of the twelfth night

View at the Cleveland Museum of Art

About the Artwork

Every night for 52 nights the sly domesticated parrot encourages his master's wife Khujasta to meet her lover under cover of darkness. Just before she leaves, he mentions a topic from a tantalizing tale; she becomes so curious that she cannot go out before hearing the whole story. By the time the story ends, dawn breaks, and it is too late for her to go out unnoticed. The gold sky and geometric tile patterns are derived from Persian sources while Khujasta's figure shown in profile and style of dress are purely Indian. The artist has chosen to tilt the carpet up in defiance of realistic perspective to show off the fine arabesque motif. The checkered bedspread calls attention to the empty bed and Khujasta's longing to be with her lover.

Provenance

?–1959: Estate of Breckinridge Long [1881–1958], Bowie, MD 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

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.

Quick Overview

Artist: Tara 1 (Indian, active 1550s-1590s)
Date: c. 1560
Medium: gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions: Overall: 20.3 x 14 cm (8 x 5 1/2 in.); Painting only: 9.1 x 10.3 cm (3 9/16 x 4 1/16 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Credit line: Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry
Accession no.: 1962.279.95.a

More by Tara 1 in museum collections

The deceitful wife assaults her erring husband, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
Tara 1
c. 1560 · Painting
Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00009845
The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Thirteenth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
Tara 1
c. 1560 · Painting
Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00009861