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The fourth man digs at the spot where he dropped the shell, expecting jewels, but discovering mere iron, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-seventh Night
c. 1560
- Medium
- gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- Overall: 20.3 x 14 cm (8 x 5 1/2 in.); Painting only: 9.6 x 10 cm (3 3/4 x 3 15/16 in.)
- Culture
- Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Credit line
- Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
Against a rocky landscape, a lone man raises a pickaxe. Previously, he and his four friends had received shells from a wise man, who claimed they would lead the men to their fortunes. Three of the friends discovered copper, silver, and gold. The fourth man, however, was dissatisfied with the discovery of iron, and his greed ultimately led to his downfall.
