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 illuminated page belongs to the manuscript Tales of a Parrot, a narrative created for Prince Salim.
About this work
Technique & Style
The page originates from a 1560 manuscript painting executed in the Mughal Empire, rendered on paper using traditional pigment techniques characteristic of miniature illustration; the work shows flat, linear outlines, muted earth tones, and intricate decorative borders, reflecting the stylized narrative approach of Persian-influenced court art, and remains preserved on its original paper support with only minor edge wear, maintaining its formal compositional balance and textual integration as a visual accompaniment to the story.
History & Provenance
The text page from the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama) is a painting dated to 1560 and produced in the Mughal Empire by an unknown artist.
The text page from the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama) is a painting dated to 1560 and produced in the Mughal Empire by an unknown artist. It entered the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection in 1962, as indicated by its accession number 1962.279.7.a, and remains housed there. No further details about its commission, earlier ownership, or provenance are available in the provided sources.
The painting is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued as accession number 1962.279.7.a. It was created in 1560 within the Mughal Empire and has not been recorded in any major exhibition history beyond its inclusion in the museum’s permanent holdings.
Overview
This illuminated page belongs to the manuscript Tales of a Parrot, a narrative created for Prince Salim. Executed as a painted sheet, the work features dense black ink script set against a light brown ground, bordered by a narrow red line that defines its edges. The paper shows subtle signs of aging, indicating its historical provenance.
Subject & Meaning
The text recounts episodes from the Tales of a Parrot collection, a literary work intended for princely entertainment and moral instruction. The careful, deliberate hand suggests the page was designed for slow, contemplative reading, perhaps as a personal gift to the young patron.
Context
Tales of a Parrot belongs to a tradition of didactic storytelling popular among elite audiences, where animal protagonists convey ethical lessons. The inclusion of such a text in a royal library reflects the educational and entertainment values prized by the Safavid and Mughal courts.
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
