The deceitful wife returns to her terrace after caressing her lover - Shravana

A sixteenth-century Mughal miniature illustration from the Tuti-nama, depicting a narrative scene of a woman returning to her terrace.

This miniature painting originates from the Tuti-nama, or Tales of a Parrot, a collection of fifty-two stories told by a parrot to its mistress over successive nights. This specific illustration depicts the eighth night, capturing a moment of domestic drama and clandestine activity. The composition is divided into two distinct zones: the upper register features the narrative scene, while the lower portion contains Persian text written in nasta'liq script.

In the visual narrative, a woman is shown climbing a ladder to return to her terrace after an illicit encounter. Below her, a man stands in a courtyard, holding a bow and arrows, observing the scene. The architectural elements, including the brick walls and the terrace structure, are rendered with a flattened perspective typical of the period. The artist employs a palette of earthy tones, contrasted by the deep blue of the sky and the application of gold leaf, which adds a decorative quality to the foliage and the ground.

Shravana, an artist active in the Mughal court during the mid-to-late sixteenth century, demonstrates the synthesis of Persian and Indian artistic traditions. The figures are depicted with clear outlines and expressive gestures, characteristic of the early Mughal style before the later refinement of the imperial workshops. The scene conveys the narrative tension of the story through the positioning of the figures and the architectural framing. The inclusion of the text block is integral to the work, as it provides the necessary context for the viewer to understand the moral or humorous nature of the tale being told. This print offers a glimpse into the literary culture of the Mughal court, where storytelling and visual art were closely linked to provide entertainment and instruction for the nobility.