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

This object is a painted page from the Persian manuscript known as the Tales of a Parrot, or Tuti‑nama. Executed as a miniature illustration, the sheet measures roughly the size of a standard folio and functions as a textual page rather than a full‑page illustration. It is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection of Persian book art.

The page contains a continuous block of black calligraphic script set against a light, slightly yellowed ground. The text presents a narrative episode from the Tuti‑nama, a moral tale traditionally conveyed through a dialogue between a parrot and a human interlocutor. The content is organized into sections marked by thin blue lines, guiding the reader through the story’s progression.

The page originates from a Persian illustrated codex produced in the early modern period, likely between the 16th and 18th centuries. It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art through acquisition in the mid‑20th century, joining a larger group of related folios that together illustrate the manuscript’s original format and narrative sequence.

The Tuti‑nama belongs to a tradition of didactic literature in Persian culture, where animal protagonists convey ethical lessons. Such manuscripts were often commissioned by elite patrons for private study or display, and their production involved specialized calligraphers, painters, and goldsmiths working within courtly workshops.