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 Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama).
About this work
History & Provenance
The miniature page originates from a 1560 manuscript produced in the Mughal Empire, depicting a scene from the Tuti-nama.
The miniature page originates from a 1560 manuscript produced in the Mughal Empire, depicting a scene from the Tuti-nama. It entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it remains on view.
The work was created as part of a Persian illustrated manuscript and later acquired by the museum through purchase or donation, though specific acquisition records are not detailed in the source.
The page is attributed to an unknown artist working within the Mughal artistic tradition, with its creation dated to 1560 based on stylistic and historical analysis.
Context
The miniature originates from a 1560 manuscript page illustrating a parrot tale from the Tuti-nama, a Persian narrative cycle that traveled across Islamic courts into Indian artistic workshops, exemplifying the Mughal synthesis of Persian literary themes with local visual idioms. Its compositional economy, flattened space, rhythmic line work, and stylized flora, reflects the broader Mughal atelier practice of adapting Safavid manuscript traditions while introducing subtle naturalistic touches, situating it within the larger trajectory of Indo-Persian painting that flourished under imperial patronage in the sixteenth century.
Overview
This object is a single page from the illustrated manuscript Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama). The sheet consists of paper that has acquired an aged patina, marked by brown specks and a faint red border along its margins. The surface is densely covered with black calligraphic script arranged in tight horizontal lines, the characters varying in height and width yet maintaining a continuous flow.
Subject & Meaning
The written passage forms part of a narrative composed for a princely patron named Salim. The story, known as Tales of a Parrot, is a collection of moral and entertaining episodes conveyed through the voice of a talking bird, a literary device common in Persian and Ottoman courtly literature.
Technique & Style
The calligraphy displays a refined hand, combining graceful curves with precise angular strokes. The script, though elegant, shows intentional irregularities, some letters are elongated while others are compressed, creating a rhythmic visual texture. The thin red line framing the page serves both decorative and structural purposes, delineating the text block.
Legacy
The page exemplifies the high level of artistic and literary patronage in its originating court, offering scholars insight into the aesthetics of manuscript production and the transmission of storytelling motifs across Persianate cultures.
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
