The bird of seven colors brings a sable to the pious man, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifty-second Night, c. 1560
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The bird of seven colors brings a sable to the pious man, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifty-second 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: 5.7 x 9.7 cm (2 1/4 x 3 13/16 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

The pious man and his wife stare at the fantastic seven-colored bird in surprise. Although it cost the man his final diram, the bird becomes a source of great wealth and prosperity for his family. Every day it leaves and returns with a sable, which the man sells in the market. Soon the man becomes a well-known merchant.