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 single sheet from the Persian narrative work Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama).
About this work
History & Provenance
The work is a text page from the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama) manuscript and exemplifies Mughal manuscript illustration of the mid-sixteenth century.
The page is dated to 1560 and was produced in the Mughal Empire by an unknown artist. It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1962, where it is catalogued as accession number 1962.279.157.a. Prior to its acquisition, the work's ownership history is not recorded in the available sources, and no specific commission is documented.
The work is a text page from the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama) manuscript and exemplifies Mughal manuscript illustration of the mid-sixteenth century. It has not been documented in major exhibition histories beyond its inclusion in the museum's permanent holdings.
Overview
This object is a single sheet from the Persian narrative work Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama). The page consists of dense black calligraphy arranged in tight, orderly rows, with occasional variations in line weight that give certain characters a bolder appearance. A thin red border frames the sheet, and a small red mark near the upper right corner suggests a marginal note or correction. The paper shows signs of age, lending it a softened, antiqued surface.
Subject & Meaning
The text on the page forms part of a larger literary composition that recounts moral and didactic stories featuring a parrot as a narrator. The careful, legible script reflects the importance of preserving the narrative accurately, indicating that the work was intended for readers who valued both its entertainment and its instructional content.
Technique & Style
The calligrapher employed ink of varying thickness, creating a subtle visual rhythm across the page. The script is executed in a neat, uniform hand, characteristic of Persian manuscript traditions that prioritize clarity and elegance. The red border and marginal mark are applied with pigment rather than ink, providing a visual contrast that highlights the page’s boundaries and any editorial interventions.
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