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 folio from the illustrated Persian manuscript known as the Tales of a Parrot, or Tuti‑nama.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Within Mughal court culture the parrot serves as a didactic device, a symbol of counsel and moral instruction.
The folio is a text page from the Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot), a collection of moral tales structured as stories a parrot tells its mistress night after night to detain her. Within Mughal court culture the parrot serves as a didactic device, a symbol of counsel and moral instruction. As a text page rather than an illustrated miniature, the folio carries the narrative in script; it belongs to an illustrated manuscript of the work produced in the 1560s for elite patrons, reflecting the synthesis of Persian literary themes with Indian manuscript production.
History & Provenance
The text page originates from a 1560 manuscript produced in the Mughal Empire, created as part of an illustrated manuscript of Tales of a Parrot. The work entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it remains today. No earlier ownership or exhibition history is recorded in the available sources.
Overview
This object is a single folio from the illustrated Persian manuscript known as the Tales of a Parrot, or Tuti‑nama. The page consists of dense black calligraphy set on a beige paper that shows signs of aging, such as fine creases and small brown spots. A thin red line runs along the margin, framing the text. The work is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Technique & Style
The calligrapher employed a flowing black ink, varying in intensity; some strokes appear bolder while others fade, creating subtle visual rhythm. The ink was applied with a fine reed pen on handmade paper, and a narrow red pigment, likely derived from cinnabar or vermilion, was used to outline the page’s edge, adding a decorative yet functional border.
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
