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The monkey, serving as the lion’s chamberlain, converses with the lynx and its mate who have arrived with their cubs to settle in the lion’s domain, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-ninth Night

c. 1560

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

While the lion is away, the monkey is put in charge of protecting his land. However, a family of lynx soon move into the lion’s den, claiming that they are the rightful owners. The text depicts the lion’s home as a beautiful meadow with a field of tulips.

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  • Title: The monkey, serving as the lion’s chamberlain, converses with the lynx and its mate who have arrived with their cubs to settle in the lion’s domain, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-ninth Night
  • Date Created: c. 1560
  • Physical Dimensions: Painting only: 7.7 x 10.3 cm (3 1/16 x 4 1/16 in.); Overall: 20 x 14.2 cm (7 7/8 x 5 9/16 in.)
  • Provenance: Estate of Breckenridge Long, Bowie, MD, 1959; Harry Burke Antiques, Philadelphia, PA; Bernard Brown, Milwaukee, WI;
  • Type: Painting
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1962.279.193.a
  • Medium: gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
  • Fun Fact: The artist has faithfully rendered the distinctive tufts on the ears of all five lynxes.
  • Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
  • Culture: Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry
  • Collection: Indian Art
  • Accession Number: 1962.279.193.a
The Cleveland Museum of Art

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