Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page

The miniature text page from the Tuti-nama, produced in the Mughal Empire around 1560, established a visual language of narrative illustration that later Persian and Indian manuscript traditions adapted and expanded. Its compositional strategies and didactic function influenced subsequent illustrated moral and mystical texts across South Asia, ensuring the work’s structural model remained a reference point for later manuscript production.

The piece is held in the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued as part of the museum’s collection of Mughal paintings.

This manuscript leaf, part of the illustrated work known as Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama), consists of a single paper page covered in dense black calligraphic script. The surface is lightly yellowed with a narrow red border framing its edges, and minor wear marks indicate age and handling.

The text, arranged in orderly rows, forms part of a narrative intended for a patron named Prince Salim. While the specific story on this page is not provided, the Tuti‑nama tradition typically conveys moral or romantic tales drawn from Persian literary sources.

The script is rendered in a fine, uniform hand characteristic of Persian courtly manuscripts, using black ink on paper. The red marginal line serves both decorative and protective functions, a common feature in early modern Persian book production.