Parrot Stealing Away Wine

The Persian folk is full of tales wherein parrots perform various acts of man's interest, sometimes helpful but sometimes also embarrassing. In this painting the parrot engulfs the maiden into a great awkward situation by drinking away from the goblet the wine she was carrying to her master. She was misunderstood to have herself consumed the liquor and rebuked.

As the folk has it, a prince commanded from his garden where he had been recessing, one of his courtesans to fetch for him wine and a goblet. The courtesan collected a wine jar and a goblet from the palace and reached the garden. When passing across the shrubs, she got her chunari entwined with its thorny branches. As natural, she tossed back her head but in the process the wine jar she was carrying turned topsy-turvy and the contents it had were poured down on the ground. Before she could overcome her dismay a parrot from a nearby tree landed on her other hand, which held in it the goblet full of wine and drank away from it all the wine it contained. The artist has caught the moment as it has been depicted in the folk. The corner of the sash is entwined with a shrub rendered here as a beautiful creeper. Before the courtesan could set free her sash she finds her wine jar turned pouring down all its contents. Caught in dismay she is not able to look back before a parrot lands on her other hand. The parrot is seen heading its beak towards the goblet. Dismay on the face of the lady has been vividly depicted. Her figure, curved to a zigzag form, with her legs and breast inclining ahead shows a forward thrust and with her waist, neck and head turned back it as powerfully portray her dismay. The artist has created a tall slender beautiful figure with sharp features.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.