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 page from the illustrated manuscript known as Tuti‑nama (Tales of a Parrot).
About this work
Technique & Style
The object functions as a textual component, integrating calligraphy with the painted medium typical of Mughal book production during the mid-sixteenth century.
Created in 1560 within the Mughal Empire, this work is classified as a painting serving as a text page from the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama). Although the specific artist remains unknown, the piece represents the manuscript illumination tradition of its era. The object functions as a textual component, integrating calligraphy with the painted medium typical of Mughal book production during the mid-sixteenth century.
History & Provenance
The page is a Mughal Empire text folio from the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama) dated to 1560, produced by an unknown artist in the Mughal Empire. It formed part of the illustrated manuscript commissioned for a Mughal patron, though the specific patron and workshop are not recorded. The folio entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection in 1962, bearing the accession number 1962.279.12.b, and remains housed in its permanent galleries today.
The painting is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio. It was acquired by the museum in 1962 under the accession number 1962.279.12.b. The work was included in the museum’s 1975 exhibition "Indian Miniatures from the Cleveland Museum of Art," and later featured in the 1998 traveling exhibition "Mughal Art from the Cleveland Museum of Art."
Overview
This object is a single page from the illustrated manuscript known as Tuti‑nama (Tales of a Parrot). The sheet consists of paper that shows signs of age, such as small spots and irregular edges, and is bordered by a thin gold line. The surface is filled with dense black calligraphy, accented in places with red and blue pigments.
Subject & Meaning
The script appears to be a narrative passage, likely part of a larger story recounted in the Tuti‑nama tradition. The text is rendered in a careful, flowing hand, suggesting it was intended for a literate audience familiar with the language and the tale’s cultural context.
Context
Tuti‑nama is a Persian literary genre that blends moral instruction with entertaining anecdotes, often illustrated with miniature paintings. This page belongs to that tradition, reflecting the courtly taste for elaborate storytelling and the integration of visual and textual arts during the Mughal 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
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