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. The page is a manuscript leaf from the illustrated work Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama), created as a luxury book for Prince Salim.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The Mughal court context of its creation underscores the cultural fusion of Persian literary traditions with Indian artistic patronage during the 16th century.
The depicted text page illustrates a narrative from the Tuti-nama, a Persian collection of moral tales featuring a talking parrot that instructs listeners on ethical conduct. In this scene, the parrot serves as a didactic symbol, embodying wisdom and the transmission of moral instruction through storytelling. The Mughal court context of its creation underscores the cultural fusion of Persian literary traditions with Indian artistic patronage during the 16th century.
History & Provenance
This text folio from the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama) was created around 1560 in the Mughal Empire, aligning with the manuscript’s traditional dating to the mid-16th century. The Cleveland Museum of Art acquired the page in 1962 as part of a larger acquisition (1962.279.223.a), where it entered the museum’s collection as an anonymous Mughal work. Its origins trace to the imperial ateliers of the Mughal court, where such illustrated manuscripts were produced under royal patronage during the reign of Akbar.
The manuscript’s dispersed folios, including this page, entered the art market in the 20th century before being reunited in museum collections.
The text page from the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama), created in 1560, is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland. The work is assigned the accession number 1962.279.223.a, identifying it as a specific painting within the museum's holdings. Originating from the Mughal Empire, this manuscript leaf remains part of the institution's permanent collection.
Overview
The page is a manuscript leaf from the illustrated work Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama), created as a luxury book for Prince Salim. The surface is covered entirely with dense Arabic calligraphy, each line looping tightly across the page and bordered by a thin red strip. The paper shows signs of age, with uneven fading and faint stains that attest to its long use.
Technique & Style
The scribe employed a precise yet lively hand, skillfully compressing the Arabic script into a compact, vine‑like arrangement that maximizes the page’s limited space. The ink, a deep black, contrasts sharply with the thin red marginal band, a decorative element typical of high‑status manuscripts of the period.
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
