The Brahman, unable to select from the four gifts of the king of the Ocean seeks the Raja’s advice, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Eleventh Night

The work illustrates a narrative episode from the eleventh night of the Tuti‑nama, a Persian collection of parrot‑told tales. Central to the composition is a man dressed in red, clutching a green sprig, while surrounding figures listen attentively. The scene unfolds within a richly decorated interior, its walls edged in blue with gold motifs and a floor of yellow brick‑patterned tiles.

Executed in vivid pigments, the artist employs a flat, decorative approach typical of manuscript illustration, with bold outlines and intricate surface patterning. The use of contrasting reds, blues, and yellows creates a luminous effect, while the Arabic inscription framing the scene integrates textual and visual elements.

The image belongs to a tradition of Persian book art that visualized literary episodes for elite audiences. Its composition reflects the courtly aesthetic of the Safavid period, where narrative scenes were rendered with elaborate architectural backdrops and stylized figures.

Works of this type informed later South Asian and Islamic visual cultures, influencing decorative painting and manuscript illustration. The piece, now part of a museum collection, serves as a reference for scholars studying cross‑cultural storytelling and the visual language of Persian literary manuscripts.