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

The folio was produced with ink applied by a fine brush or reed pen onto a prepared paper support. The script reflects a flowing Nastaʿlīq calligraphic hand, characteristic of Persian literary manuscripts of the early modern period. The border is minimally decorative, emphasizing the textual content rather than visual ornamentation.

The page originates from an unidentified copy of the *Tuti‑nama*, a text that circulated widely across the Persianate world from the 15th to 19th centuries. The wear and staining suggest it belonged to a personal library rather than a formal archive, and it has likely passed through private hands before entering a museum collection.

Manuscript culture in the Persianate regions prized the transmission of stories through richly written books, often illustrated but sometimes limited to text. The *Tuti‑nama* belongs to a tradition of didactic literature that blended entertainment with moral instruction, frequently read aloud in courtly or domestic settings.