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. The work is a painted representation of a manuscript leaf from the illustrated collection known as the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama).
About this work
Overview
The work is a painted representation of a manuscript leaf from the illustrated collection known as the Tales of a Parrot (Tuti‑nama). Rendered on a flat surface, the image reproduces a single page filled entirely with black script, without accompanying illustrations.
Subject & Meaning
The depicted page contains a continuous block of calligraphic text in a script that resembles Arabic or Persian, suggesting the narrative or poetic content of the original tale. The absence of pictorial elements focuses attention on the literary nature of the source material.
Technique & Style
Executed with a brush or pen in dense black pigment, the calligraphy displays elaborate ornamental strokes, looping curves, and decorative flourishes. Letterforms vary in size, and diacritical marks appear as small dots or lines above and below the characters, creating a rhythmic visual flow across the page.
History & Provenance
The image is a copy of a page from the Tuti‑nama, a medieval Persian manuscript tradition that circulated in the Islamic world. While the precise date and origin of this painted version are not specified, it reflects the longstanding practice of reproducing manuscript pages as standalone artworks.
Context
Manuscript illustration in Persian culture often combined textual elegance with visual decoration. This work isolates the calligraphic element, illustrating the high regard for script as an aesthetic component in its own right, separate from narrative miniatures.
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
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