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 artifact is a single leaf from the medieval manuscript known as Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama).
About this work
History & Provenance
The painting entered the museum’s collection in 1962 as part of an acquisition that included Indian and Persian manuscripts from the Mughal era.
The folio was produced around 1560 in the Mughal Empire, likely as part of the illustrated Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama) manuscript; the artist remains unidentified. Its early history before the twentieth century is not recorded in the available sources. In 1962 the Cleveland Museum of Art acquired the page, assigning it accession number 1962.279.117.a, and it has remained in the museum’s collection since.
The text page reflects the literary and artistic culture of the Mughal court, though no specific patron or workshop has been identified.
The work is held at the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it carries the accession number 1962.279.117.a. The painting entered the museum’s collection in 1962 as part of an acquisition that included Indian and Persian manuscripts from the Mughal era.
Overview
This artifact is a single leaf from the medieval manuscript known as Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama). The page measures roughly the size of a modern book leaf and bears a dense block of text rendered in a flowing, decorative script. The parchment has acquired a yellowed patina and shows signs of handling, indicating its age and continued use over centuries.
Subject & Meaning
The written passage presents a narrative drawn from the Tuti‑nama, a collection of moral and didactic stories traditionally transmitted in a language distinct from the dominant literary tongues of its region. The content reflects the didactic purpose of the work, offering ethical instruction through allegorical episodes that were intended for an educated audience.
Technique & Style
The scribe employed black iron‑gall ink for the main body of the text, while select words are accented with gold leaf, creating a visual hierarchy that emphasizes key terms. The script is characterized by elegant, looping strokes and ornamental flourishes, typical of high‑status manuscripts, and the gold application demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of illumination techniques.
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