The deceitful wife assaults her erring husband, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night

Also known as: Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): Eighth night: The deceitful wife assaults her erring husband

About the Artwork

A merchant’s wife carries on affairs while her husband is away. On the journey home, the merchant buys a woman’s company for the night. His own wife answers the call. When the merchant’s identity is revealed, the wife attacks him in order to distract from her own indiscretions. Townspeople surrounding the merchant’s chamber look on at the sound of the assault.

Inscriptions

tārā

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: Painting only: 14.8 x 10.3 cm (5 13/16 x 4 1/16 in.); Overall: 20 x 13.6 cm (7 7/8 x 5 3/8 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Credit line: Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry
Accession no.: 1962.279.60.b

More by Tara 1 in museum collections

The Parrot Addresses Khujasta at the Beginning of the Twelfth Night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot)
Tara 1
c. 1560 · Painting
Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00009808
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