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 object is a single folio from the Persian illustrated manuscript known as *Tales of a Parrot* (Tuti‑nama).
About this work
Overview
The object is a single folio from the Persian illustrated manuscript known as *Tales of a Parrot* (Tuti‑nama). The page consists entirely of handwritten text, rendered in dense black ink across a cream‑colored paper that bears subtle blue‑grey speckles. The script flows in tightly set lines, creating a visual rhythm as the eye moves across the page.
Subject & Meaning
The inscription presents a narrative passage intended for slow, contemplative reading. The language and structure suggest a moral or didactic story, a common feature of the *Tuti‑nama* tradition, which employed parrot‑told tales to convey ethical lessons.
Technique & Style
The calligrapher employed a single‑brush technique, varying the ink’s thickness to produce a subtle dynamism within the text. Each line curves gently, avoiding straight edges and giving the page a wave‑like quality. The paper’s warm tone and faint speckling are characteristic of high‑quality Persian manuscript stock from the early modern period.
History & Provenance
While the precise date and origin of this folio remain uncertain, *Tuti‑nama* manuscripts were widely produced in Iran and the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to 19th centuries. The page is currently held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued as a painted manuscript fragment.
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
