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 leaf belongs to a 16th‑century Indian manuscript titled Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama).
About this work
Technique & Style
The composition features delicate line work and restrained color fields typical of early Safavid-influenced Mughal book arts.
The text page originates from a 1560 manuscript painting produced in the Mughal Empire. It is executed in ink and opaque watercolor on paper, forming part of the Tuti-nama narrative cycle. The composition features delicate line work and restrained color fields typical of early Safavid-influenced Mughal book arts.
The medium is tempera and gold leaf on paper support, with marginal illumination framing the Persian text. The surviving fragment exhibits minor foxing along the edges but remains structurally intact, reflecting the fragile condition common to manuscript leaves after centuries of handling. Stylistically, the page demonstrates the synthesis of Persian miniature traditions with emerging imperial Mughal aesthetics, particularly in its flattened spatial rendering and ornamental border treatment.
The work is held in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.
History & Provenance
The page from the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama) is a Mughal Empire painting dated to 1560, as indicated by its inception date. Though the artist remains unknown, the work was produced in the Mughal imperial context and later entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued as accession number 1962.279.5.a. No earlier ownership or commission details are recorded in the available sources.
The work is classified as a painting and forms part of the museum's holdings of Mughal manuscript illustrations.
The text page from the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama), dated to 1560, is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland. The work is cataloged under the accession number 1962.279.5.a. Originating from the Mughal Empire, this painting by an unknown artist was acquired by the museum in 1962.
Overview
This leaf belongs to a 16th‑century Indian manuscript titled Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama). The sheet contains only text, arranged in a continuous flowing hand, with occasional words highlighted in red ink. No pictorial decoration accompanies the script, allowing the written narrative to dominate the page.
Subject & Meaning
The manuscript records a narrative or poetic composition, typical of the Tuti‑nama tradition, which presents moral stories through the voice of a parrot. Though the specific passage is illegible here, the work as a whole conveys ethical teachings and cultural values through allegorical storytelling.
Context
Tales of a Parrot belongs to a broader genre of didactic literature that blended Persian poetic conventions with Indian moral instruction. Such works were often read aloud in courtly or domestic settings, serving both entertainment and ethical instruction for elite audiences.
Legacy
Although this particular leaf contains no illustrations, the Tuti‑nama tradition influenced later Indian prose and poetry, inspiring adaptations in regional languages. The manuscript’s preservation offers insight into the textual aesthetics and cultural exchange of early modern South Asia.
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