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 object is a single folio from the Persian manuscript known as Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama).
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The text page originates from the Tuti-nama, a 16th-century Persian illustrated manuscript composed in the Mughal court.
The text page originates from the Tuti-nama, a 16th-century Persian illustrated manuscript composed in the Mughal court. It depicts a parrot recounting moral tales, a motif that uses the bird as a symbol of wisdom and moral instruction. The scene reflects the didactic purpose of the manuscript, where animal fables convey lessons on justice and piety.
The work was produced in the Mughal Empire around 1560 and is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.
Technique & Style
The work is a painted manuscript page on paper, created as a miniature painting within the Mughal artistic tradition. It is executed in pigment on paper, a common support for illustrated texts of the period. The formal qualities reflect Mughal stylistic conventions of the mid-sixteenth century, including flattened perspective and intricate pattern work characteristic of manuscript illumination.
History & Provenance
The text page from the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama) is dated to 1560 and was produced in the Mughal Empire by an unidentified artist. It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1962, receiving the accession number 1962.279.231.a, and has remained in the museum’s collection since. The sources do not provide earlier ownership records, commission details, or further information about its creation history. No further specifics about its patronage or subsequent transfers are recorded in the available sources.
The text page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama) is held by the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio. It is cataloged under the accession number 1962.279.231.a. The work was created in 1560 within the Mughal Empire and has been part of the museum's collection since its acquisition.
Overview
The object is a single folio from the Persian manuscript known as Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama). It consists of a light‑yellowed paper sheet bearing black ink text arranged in orderly rows. The page is framed by a narrow red border and marked at each corner with tiny red dots, suggesting a decorative or protective purpose.
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