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. This object is a single folio from the illustrated manuscript known as *Tales of a Parrot* (Tuti‑nama).
About this work
Overview
This object is a single folio from the illustrated manuscript known as *Tales of a Parrot* (Tuti‑nama). Rendered as a painted page, it presents dense black calligraphy on a pale beige ground, framed by thin red and blue bands that define a rectangular border.
Subject & Meaning
The page contains a segment of the narrative that recounts moral and romantic episodes centered on a talking parrot, a popular motif in Persian literary tradition. The text was composed for Prince Salim, indicating a courtly audience and a didactic purpose within the larger story.
Technique & Style
Ink is applied in a fluid, continuous hand, producing tightly packed lines of script that convey both readability and decorative intent. The surrounding borders employ a limited palette of red and blue pigments, applied in flat washes that contrast with the monochrome text, reflecting miniature manuscript aesthetics of the Safavid period.
History & Provenance
The folio originates from a Persian manuscript produced in the early modern era for a princely patron, Prince Salim. It entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art as part of a larger acquisition of illustrated books, where it is displayed alongside other pages from the same work.
Context
*Tales of a Parrot* belongs to a genre of Persian prose that blends poetry, fable, and courtly romance, often illustrated to enhance the storytelling. Such manuscripts were luxury objects, commissioned by elite patrons to demonstrate cultural refinement and support the arts.
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