The hunter offers the mother parrot to the king of Kamarupa, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fifth Night c. 1560 Part of a set. See all set records Basavana (Indian, active c. 1560–1600) India, Mughal, Reign of Akbar, 16th century Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper Page: 20 x 14.3 cm (7 7/8 x 5 5/8 in.); Painting only: 10.2 x 10.7 cm (4 x 4 3/16 in.) Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.36.b DID YOU KNOW? This leper king ruled a territory that stretched from Bhutan to Assam and Bengal. DESCRIPTION The king of Kamarupa, which ironically means “body of erotic love,” had leprosy. The hunter brought the captured mother parrot to the king, assuring him that the bird knew a cure. The lavish use of gold indicates that this book was a costly production. The figure of the hunter reveals the talents of the artist Basavana, whose name is written in the right margin. Draped in rustic garments shaded to appear softly flowing, the hunter bends forward with a subtle look of shrewd expectancy as the king seems ready to pay a high price for the parrot. The billowing red curtain is one of Basavana’s signature motifs. Beyond is a tantalizing glimpse of the forest to which the parrot will soon escape to rejoin her children. INSCRIPTION 'amal basāwan INSCRIPTION TRANSLATION the work of Basavana PROVENANCE Estate of Breckenridge Long, Bowie, MD, 1959; Harry Burke Antiques, Philadelphia, PA; Bernard Brown, Milwaukee, WI; EXHIBITION HISTORY Arthur M.Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution (6/21/2002 - 9/9/2002); The Brooklyn Museum of Art (11/1/2002 - 1/26/2003): "The Adventures of Hamza", exh. cat. no. 11, pp. 68-69. The Adventures of Hamza. Smithsonian Institution Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, DC (organizer) (June 21-September 29, 2002); The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY (November 1, 2002-January 26, 2003). Art and Stories from Mughal India. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 31-October 23, 2016).