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Illustrated portrait of Defne Akın
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Defne Akın

Defne Akın writes for the Miniature Painting department at Matchless Pieces, covering the history, makers and collecting of miniature painting.

1,015Articles
defne.akin@matchlesspieces.com
The parrot addresses Khujasta at the beginning of the forty-ninth night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-Ninth Night — Anonymous, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)

The parrot addresses Khujasta at the beginning of the forty-ninth night, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Forty-Ninth Night

October 10, 2026Paulownia Court from Album of Illustrations for the Tale of Genji — Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

Paulownia Court from Album of Illustrations for the Tale of Genji

October 10, 2026Wild Carnation from Album of Illustrations for the Tale of Genji — Japan, Edo period (1615–1868)

Wild Carnation from Album of Illustrations for the Tale of Genji

October 10, 2026The prince, a son of the ruler of Sistan, enters the service of a snake, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-seventh Night — Anonymous, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)

The prince, a son of the ruler of Sistan, enters the service of a snake, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Thirty-seventh Night

October 10, 2026Krishna’s longing for Radha, from a Gita Govinda (Song of the Cowherd) of Jayadeva — Northern India, Pahari kingdoms

Krishna’s longing for Radha, from a Gita Govinda (Song of the Cowherd) of Jayadeva

October 10, 2026A Heroine and Her Paramour: Malavi Ragini, from a Ragamala — Anonymous, Rajput Kingdom of Mewar

A Heroine and Her Paramour: Malavi Ragini, from a Ragamala

October 10, 2026Bashir confides his love for Habbaza to an Arab friend, and sends him to her with a message, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-fourth Night — Anonymous, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)

Bashir confides his love for Habbaza to an Arab friend, and sends him to her with a message, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Twenty-fourth Night

October 10, 2026The goldsmith judged; the bear cubs trained by the carpenter as though they were his sons, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Third Night — Anonymous, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)

The goldsmith judged; the bear cubs trained by the carpenter as though they were his sons, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Third Night

October 10, 2026Shahr-Arai and her husband adopt her lover as a brother in the family, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fortieth Night — Anonymous, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)

Shahr-Arai and her husband adopt her lover as a brother in the family, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fortieth Night

October 10, 2026The king places the talisman on his sleeping wife, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fiftieth Night — Anonymous, court of Akbar (reigned 1556–1605)

The king places the talisman on his sleeping wife, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Fiftieth Night

October 10, 2026

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