Artwork
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1560 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. This object is a painted page from the Persian narrative collection known as the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama).
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Symbolically, the parrot represents wisdom and the transmission of guidance, while the act of reading reflects the didactic purpose of the work.
The page depicts a scene from the Tuti-nama, a Persian narrative in which a parrot recounts moral tales to its owner. The illustrated text functions as a narrative vignette within the larger manuscript, emphasizing moral instruction through allegory. Symbolically, the parrot represents wisdom and the transmission of guidance, while the act of reading reflects the didactic purpose of the work.
Executed during the mid-sixteenth century in the Mughal cultural sphere, the page exemplifies the blending of Persian literary themes with the artistic conventions of imperial manuscript production.
Technique & Style
The text page from the Tuti-nama was painted circa 1560 using pigments on paper, a typical support for Mughal manuscript illustration. The work belongs to the Cleveland Museum of Art collection and was produced in the Mughal Empire. Its formal qualities reflect the narrative clarity and delicate coloration characteristic of 16th-century Persianate book art.
History & Provenance
The text page from the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama), created in 1560, is held by the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland. The work is cataloged under the accession number 1962.279.159.b. Originating from the Mughal Empire, this painting is part of the museum's permanent collection.
Context
The page exemplifies Mughal atelier production circa 1560, blending Persian narrative traditions with Indian artistic elements. Its inclusion in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection reflects scholarly interest in early Mughal manuscript illumination, in which text and image served didactic purposes within an Islamic literary framework. The Tuti-nama was among the earliest illustrated manuscripts produced for the Mughal court.
Overview
This object is a painted page from the Persian narrative collection known as the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama). Executed as a text page rather than an illustrated miniature, it consists of dense black calligraphic lines set against a light, aged‑looking ground, framed by a thin red border. The paper shows signs of age, with faint stains and a worn surface.
Artist & collection
- Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page