The handmaiden appeals for justice and the prince is taken to the execution site for the fourth time, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eighth Night

Also known as: Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): Eighth night: The handmaiden appeals for justice and the prince is taken to the execution site for the fourth time

About the Artwork

Above, the enthroned king hears the appeal of the distressed handmaiden. Below, the bound and kneeling prince awaits his execution. Although the prince has been falsely accused of assaulting the handmaiden, he has taken a temporary vow of silence and is unable to defend himself. A vizier will stall the execution with a story about the dangers of women.

Inscriptions

tārā

Quick Overview

Artist: Tara 2 (Indian, active 1550s-1590s)
Date: c. 1560
Medium: gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions: Painting only: 16.6 x 10 cm (6 9/16 x 3 15/16 in.); Overall: 20 x 14.4 cm (7 7/8 x 5 11/16 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Credit line: Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry
Accession no.: 1962.279.63.b

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.