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 painted page from the illustrated manuscript known as the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama).
About this work
Technique & Style
The page is executed in ink on paper, forming a delicate calligraphic text within a Mughal manuscript tradition.
The page is executed in ink on paper, forming a delicate calligraphic text within a Mughal manuscript tradition. The support is paper, and the work was likely handled as a manuscript leaf before being bound into an album. Stylistically, the page reflects the narrative clarity and restrained presentation characteristic of 16th-century Persian-influenced Indian manuscript production, with fine line work emphasizing the text.
History & Provenance
The page from the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama) was created in 1560 within the Mughal Empire, as recorded in its cataloguing data. It is classified as a painting and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The work is catalogued under the accession reference 1962.279.163.b, indicating it entered the museum's holdings in 1962.
No further details regarding its commission, prior ownership, or chain of custody prior to its acquisition by the Cleveland Museum of Art are documented in the available sources.
Legacy
The miniature from the 1560 Tuti-nama manuscript has shaped later Persian miniature traditions through its flattened composition and subtle gradations of color, influencing Mughal ateliers in the 17th century. The work's inclusion in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection has ensured continuous scholarly attention and frequent reproduction in academic publications on Indo-Persian art.
Overview
This object is a painted page from the illustrated manuscript known as the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama). The sheet functions as a text page rather than a full illustration, and it was produced as part of a deluxe volume intended for a princely patron, identified as Prince Salim.
Subject & Meaning
The page contains a continuous block of Persian prose rendered in elegant black calligraphy. The narrative content relates to the moral and romantic stories that comprise the Tuti‑nama, a work traditionally used to convey ethical instruction and courtly ideals to a young ruler.
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
