The Brahman gambler sees the daughter of the king of the jinns in a pit together with an old man and a cauldron of boiling oil, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot: Seventh Night)

c. 1560

The Brahman gambler sees the daughter of the king of the jinns in a pit together with an old man and a cauldron of boiling oil, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot: Seventh Night), c. 1560. Mughal India, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605). Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper; overall: 20.3 x 14 cm (8 x 5 1/2 in.); painting only: 9.3 x 10 cm (3 11/16 x 3 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. A. Dean Perry 1962.279.47.b A destitute Brahman peers into an open pit. At the bottom, he sees a beautiful woman and her elderly lover, who has stoked the fire beneath the cauldron for nearly eighty years. She gives the Brahman two gold bracelets, which he holds in each hand. The pit is represented in cross-section, allowing the viewers to see the action inside. The advanced age of the old man is signaled by his black and white beard.