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 leaf from an illuminated manuscript known as the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama).
About this work
History & Provenance
The leaf is a text page from the Tuti-nama, a sixteenth-century illustrated story collection produced in the Mughal Empire.
The leaf is a text page from the Tuti-nama, a sixteenth-century illustrated story collection produced in the Mughal Empire. It was created circa 1560 by an anonymous artist, as recorded in its catalog entry, and entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it remains today under accession number 1962.279.88.a. No specific exhibition history is recorded in the available sources for this manuscript leaf.
Context
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama) is a 1560 work housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art, exemplifying Mughal artistic production in India during the mid-16th century. This text page offers insight into the narrative cycles of the Tuti-nama manuscript, reflecting the cultural and artistic milieu of the Mughal Empire. Scholarship situates such works within the broader context of Persianate manuscript traditions that influenced regional Indian painting styles in the 16th century.
Overview
This object is a single leaf from an illuminated manuscript known as the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama). The page measures roughly the size of a typical book leaf and presents black calligraphic text on a light‑brown background, framed by a narrow decorative border.
Subject & Meaning
The manuscript contains narrative material written in an unidentified language, with certain words or phrases emphasized in blue ink. The purpose of the text, as well as the story it conveys, remains unclear due to the lack of a known translation.
Technique & Style
The script is rendered in a flowing, ornamental hand, featuring elaborate flourishes that are characteristic of illuminated book production. The border encircling the page is composed of thin, interlacing lines in red, blue, and yellow, adding a modest chromatic accent to the otherwise monochrome layout.
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
