Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page

The calligrapher employed a refined, ornamental hand typical of Persian manuscript production in the early modern period. Black ink is applied with precision, creating dense yet legible script, while the narrow red margin line provides a subtle decorative element that frames the text without detracting from its readability.

The folio is part of a larger codex that circulated among elite patrons in Safavid Iran. It entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art through acquisition in the late twentieth century, where it has been conserved and displayed as an example of courtly manuscript culture.

During the Safavid era, illustrated books and richly calligraphed texts were central to royal patronage. *Tales of a Parrot* exemplifies the period’s emphasis on literary sophistication, with the manuscript’s elaborate script reflecting the high status of calligraphy as an art form alongside painting and illumination.