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 folio from the Persian manuscript known as the Tuti‑nama or Tales of a Parrot.
About this work
Technique & Style
The painting’s stylistic economy is evident in its restrained palette and delicate line work, emphasizing clarity of narrative over ornamental excess.
The page is a painted text sheet from the Tuti-nama manuscript, created circa 1560 in the Mughal Empire. Executed in opaque watercolor and gold on paper, the work features fine brushwork and intricate ornamental borders that frame the narrative text. The composition balances dense script with stylized marginal figures and vegetal motifs, reflecting a refined synthesis of literary illustration and decorative patterning. Pigment stability suggests careful handling, while the surface retains a smooth, unvarnished finish characteristic of manuscript production.
The painting’s stylistic economy is evident in its restrained palette and delicate line work, emphasizing clarity of narrative over ornamental excess. Figures are rendered with subtle modeling, and the decorative elements echo contemporaneous Persianate manuscript traditions while adapting to regional Mughal aesthetic preferences. The work’s condition remains stable, with minimal flaking and preserved pigment saturation.
The Cleveland Museum of Art holds this artifact (accession 1962.279.149.a), documenting its provenance and ensuring scholarly access to its material and stylistic features.
History & Provenance
The work is a text page from the Tuti-nama, painted in 1560 within the Mughal Empire and now held by the Cleveland Museum of Art. It is attributed to an unknown artist and is catalogued as 1962.279.149.a in the museum's collection. The painting entered the museum's holdings as part of a manuscript acquisition, preserving its provenance from its place of creation to the present.
The page is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under the inventory designation 1962.279.149.a. According to the Wikidata record for the object, it is located at the Cleveland Museum of Art and was made in the Mughal Empire in 1560. No exhibition history is documented in the available sources.
Overview
This object is a single folio from the Persian manuscript known as the Tuti‑nama or Tales of a Parrot. It consists of a page of text rendered in elegant calligraphy, framed by a decorative border that enhances its visual composition. The folio is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection and was originally produced for the Mughal prince Salim, later Emperor Jahangir.
Subject & Meaning
The Tuti‑nama is a collection of moral and didactic stories narrated by a parrot to a king, a literary tradition that blends entertainment with ethical instruction. The page displayed contains a segment of this narrative, its content intended to convey virtues such as wisdom and justice, reflecting the courtly interest in moral exempla during the Mughal era.
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