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The king plucks fruit from the Tree of Life with his own hands and feeds it to a lady, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Ninth Night
by Suraju
About the Artwork
In order to prevent his own execution, the loyal parrot must prove to the king that the fruit of the Tree of Life is not poisonous. When the fruit restores the youth of an old man, the parrot is vindicated. He watches from his cage, alongside other members of the court, as the king happily picks from the tree.
Inscriptions
[su]rjū
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Suraju (Indian)
- Date
- c. 1560
- Medium
- gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
- Dimensions
- Painting only: 7.7 x 10.1 cm (3 1/16 x 4 in.); Overall: 20 x 13.4 cm (7 7/8 x 5 1/4 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Credit line
- Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry
- Accession no.
- 1962.279.79.a
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
More by Suraju in museum collections
The young prince is crowned and the wicked handmaiden is executed, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
Surajuc. 1560 · Painting
The young prince recounts his experiences to his father, the king, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
Surajuc. 1560 · Painting
The prince sent back to the place of execution for the sixth time, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night
Surajuc. 1560 · Painting
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00009864
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