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

Created around 1560 within the Mughal Empire, this text page from the Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot) was produced by an artist whose identity is unrecorded. The work entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under accession number 1962.279.66.b. The exact circumstances of its original commission are not detailed in the available records; its dating to the mid-sixteenth century places it within the early period of Mughal manuscript production.

This illuminated page, taken from the Persian manuscript known as the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama), presents a lively courtyard scene rendered in vivid pigments. A man in orange attire occupies a raised platform, fanning himself, while a blue‑clad figure gestures nearby. A pink‑dressed woman stands between them, gazing downward, surrounded by dancers and onlookers amid richly adorned costumes.

Tuti‑nama, a collection of moral tales featuring a parrot narrator, was popular across the Islamic world, inspiring lavishly illustrated copies. This page reflects the manuscript’s function as both a literary and visual object, integrating narrative scenes with decorative borders to engage readers and convey ethical themes through vivid imagery.