The Merchant's Daughter Encounters a Wolf and Bandits — Tuti-nama

This miniature painting depicts a scene from the 'Tales of a Parrot,' featuring a woman in vibrant traditional attire gesturing protectively as a wolf stands between her and a group of four armed men. The background is composed of stylized, fruit-laden trees and white birds, creating a decorative garden environment. The figures wear distinctive 16th-century Mughal courtly dress, including swords, shields, and ornate turbans.

The work belongs to the Tuti-nama ('Tales of a Parrot'), a 14th-century Persian collection of folk tales that traveled into the Mughal court and reflects the syncretic oral narrative traditions of the Islamic world, often used for moral and philosophical instruction.