Loading

The wounded monkey bites the hand of the prince, his chessmate, in the presence of guests, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifth Night

Dasavanta (Indian, d. 1584)c. 1560

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

This painting depicts a scene from the cautionary tale the mother parrot tells her young to warn them that interspecies friendships, like theirs with the fox cubs, are a bad idea. She tells them that there once was a monkey who could play chess, and he enjoyed many games with a prince. When the prince invited dignitaries for a party, the monkey made a bad joke, the prince slapped him, and the monkey bit him in return. At the left, food is prepared as the guests look on in astonishment. An inscription at the bottom of the page names the artist, who went on to become one of the most celebrated Indian masters at the Mughal court.

Show lessRead more
Download this artwork (provided by The Cleveland Museum of Art).
Learn more about this artwork.
  • Title: The wounded monkey bites the hand of the prince, his chessmate, in the presence of guests, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifth Night
  • Creator: Dasavanta (Indian, d. 1584)
  • Date Created: c. 1560
  • Physical Dimensions: Overall: 20 x 14.2 cm (7 7/8 x 5 9/16 in.); Painting only: 10.2 x 10.6 cm (4 x 4 3/16 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/1962.279.32.b
  • Medium: gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
  • Inscriptions: 'amal daswant
  • Fun Fact: Young master artist Dasavanta put a layer of cool blue color under his painting.
  • 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: 1962.279.32.b
The Cleveland Museum of Art

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites