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 painted page from the illustrated manuscript known as Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama).
About this work
Technique & Style
It is attributed to an unknown artist and dated to 1560, reflecting the courtly aesthetic of the Mughal Empire.
The text page is a miniature painting executed in the Mughal style on paper, likely using ink and pigments typical of 16th-century Indian manuscript illumination. It is attributed to an unknown artist and dated to 1560, reflecting the courtly aesthetic of the Mughal Empire. The work is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection and exemplifies the narrative illustration format of the Tuti-nama manuscript, combining delicate line work with restrained color application to frame textual content within a decorative border.
History & Provenance
The miniature was created in the Mughal Empire around 1560 as part of a manuscript illustrating the Tuti-nama, a Persian narrative of moral tales. Its attribution to an anonymous painter reflects the collaborative nature of court workshops in 16th-century India. The work entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it remains today, catalogued under accession number 1962.279.170.a.
The page is held by the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is part of the museum's collection of Mughal-period works. Its accession number is 1962.279.170.a, a designation that situates it within a larger group of folios acquired together in 1962. The folio was produced in 1560 in the Mughal Empire, consistent with the museum's holdings of illustrated manuscripts from that courtly tradition. No exhibition history is recorded in the available sources.
The accession number 1962.279.170.a indicates that this text page belongs to a set of related folios catalogued under the same acquisition, reflecting the Cleveland Museum of Art's practice of assigning letter suffixes to distinguish individual leaves from a multi-page manuscript or album.
Overview
This object is a painted page from the illustrated manuscript known as Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama). The surface is a light, slightly yellowed paper on which dense black script fills the space, bordered by a narrow red line. No illustrative imagery accompanies the text; the page functions purely as a written narrative.
Subject & Meaning
The script records a portion of the Tales of a Parrot story, a literary work composed for Prince Salim. The text’s careful arrangement and the occasional red or blue highlights suggest an emphasis on particular passages, reflecting the manuscript’s role as a personalized gift and a vehicle for moral or courtly instruction.
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
Tuti-Nama (Tales of a Parrot)
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page
Tuti-Nama (Tales of a Parrot)
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