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

Executed with fine brushwork on paper, the page combines watercolor washes with intricate gold leaf application. The artist employs bold primary hues—reds, blues, and golds—alongside delicate floral motifs that decorate the walls and pavilions, characteristic of 16th‑century Persian miniature painting.

The *Tuti‑nama* was produced in Persia during the Safavid period and later entered Western collections. The Cleveland Museum of Art acquired this particular page in the early 20th century, where it has been conserved as part of the museum’s Islamic art holdings.

*Tuti‑nama* is a literary work that uses the parrot’s voice to relay moral tales. Illustrated copies were commissioned by elite patrons, reflecting the era’s taste for lavishly decorated books that combined poetry, prose, and visual storytelling.

The page exemplifies the high level of artistic skill achieved in Persian manuscript illumination, influencing subsequent generations of miniature painters in the region. Its preservation allows scholars to study Safavid aesthetics, courtly culture, and the interplay of text and image in Islamic art.