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

This artifact is a single folio from the illustrated manuscript Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama). Executed as a painted page, it presents a dense block of black calligraphic text that fills the surface from margin to margin, punctuated by a small red mark near the centre. The paper exhibits a patinated appearance, with faint blue bands framing the upper and lower edges.

The inscribed narrative was composed for Prince Salim, a member of the Mughal court, and forms part of a larger literary work that recounts moral and romantic episodes through the voice of a parrot. The careful, ornamental script underscores the text’s ceremonial importance and its role as a vehicle for courtly education and entertainment.

The page combines fine black ink calligraphy with a single red pigment applied as a decorative dot, a common practice for emphasis or pagination in Persian manuscripts. The script is arranged in tightly spaced, curvilinear lines that interlock like vines, demonstrating the high level of penmanship expected of court scribes. The blue bands at the top and bottom are painted washes that frame the text without detracting from its legibility.