The goldsmith and the carpenter inform the king of a dream in which the golden images plan to desert the city for lack of worshippers, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Third Night
Unknown Artist
c. 1560
Medium
gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
Dimensions
20.3 × 14 cm · painting only: 16.5 × 10.4 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry
Accession Number
1962.279.20.a
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In this story, a goldsmith and a carpenter plan to steal a city’s idols by convincing the king that they have left on their own. They appear before the king, who addresses them from beneath a parasol in the lower register. The two golden idols sit in a shrine in the upper register.