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The old procuress conveys the young man’s message of love to Mansur’s wife, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot: Seventeenth Night

Sravana (Indian)c. 1560

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

When a lascivious young man learns of the beauty and virtue of the merchant Mansur’s wife, he becomes obsessed with her. While Mansur is away on a long journey, the man decides to profess his love for the woman through a messenger. Here Mansur’s wife, seated on an arabesque-patterned carpet, rebuffs the young man’s advances and sends the procuress away.

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  • Title: The old procuress conveys the young man’s message of love to Mansur’s wife, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot: Seventeenth Night
  • Creator: Sravana (Indian)
  • Date Created: c. 1560
  • Physical Dimensions: Overall: 20.3 x 14 cm (8 x 5 1/2 in.); Painting only: 11.3 x 10.1 cm (4 7/16 x 4 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/1962.279.127.a
  • Medium: gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
  • Fun Fact: The golden mihrab next to vessels for ritual cleansing points toward Mecca, emphasizing the wife’s piety.
  • 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: 1962.279.127.a
The Cleveland Museum of Art

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