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 illuminated page belongs to the manuscript *Tales of a Parrot* (Tuti‑nama), a narrative work produced for a patron named Prince Salim.
About this work
Overview
This illuminated page belongs to the manuscript *Tales of a Parrot* (Tuti‑nama), a narrative work produced for a patron named Prince Salim. Executed as a painted sheet, it features dense Arabic calligraphy rendered in black ink upon a light‑toned paper, framed by a narrow decorative border of red and blue pigment.
Subject & Meaning
The text consists of a continuous narrative written in a flowing, curved script, reflecting the literary genre of courtly storytelling. The careful arrangement of the lines, with varying lengths, emphasizes the elegance of the language and the intended audience’s appreciation for refined literary presentation.
Technique & Style
The calligrapher employed a single‑brush technique to produce smooth, sinuous strokes, achieving a high degree of legibility and visual grace. The surrounding border, applied in thin bands of red and blue, provides a subtle visual counterpoint to the monochrome text, while a small stain near the lower edge indicates minor paper damage over time.
History & Provenance
Commissioned for Prince Salim, the manuscript exemplifies the patronage practices of elite courts where personalized books were created as gifts or status symbols. The page now forms part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection, which holds several other folios from the same work, allowing comparative study of the manuscript’s production.
Context
Produced during a period when Arabic calligraphy was celebrated as both an artistic and devotional practice, the page reflects broader aesthetic values of the Islamic world, where the visual beauty of script was considered integral to the text’s meaning.
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