The dethroned frog Shapur seeks the help of the serpent, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenth-sixth Night (c. 1560): Art, History and Details

The dethroned frog Shapur seeks the help of the serpent, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenth-sixth Night (c. 1560) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Shapur, who had long ruled as king of the frogs, was overthrown and exiled for cruelty. Seeking revenge on his political enemies, he sought the allegiance of a frog-eating serpent. The serpent’s lair is shown in cross section amid the heavily shaded rocks. A pipal tree (ficus religiosa), native to India, bends over the body of the frog. This story is set in China, and the emphasis on the layers of shaded rocks may suggest the artist’s impression of a Chinese landscape. Moreover, the snake’s markings appear to be those of a Chinese Mountain pit viper.

Object facts

• Title: The dethroned frog Shapur seeks the help of the serpent, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenth-sixth Night
• Date: c. 1560
• Culture: Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)
• Type: Painting
• Technique: gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
• Dimensions: Overall: 20.3 x 14 cm (8 x 5 1/2 in.); Painting only: 7.5 x 10.1 cm (2 15/16 x 4 in.)
• Collection: Indian Art
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 1962.279.182.a

Collection credit

Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.