The merchant Mansur departs on a sea voyage, leaving his wife behind, from a Tuti-nama (Tales of a Parrot): Seventeenth Night

Executed with flat, saturated pigments, the painting employs bold color blocks—orange, blue, red, and green—to delineate clothing and surroundings. The lack of chiaroscuro creates a stylized, two‑dimensional effect typical of Persian miniature art, while the precise line work of the Arabic inscription adds a decorative textual element to the visual narrative.

Created as part of a 17th‑century Tuti‑nama manuscript, the miniature reflects the artistic conventions of Safavid Iran. The piece entered the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection through a mid‑20th‑century acquisition, joining other examples of Persian illustrated books that illustrate the cultural exchange between Persia and the broader Islamic world.

The Tuti‑nama, a collection of moral tales narrated by a parrot, was popular among elite patrons for its didactic and entertaining content. Scenes such as this departure were designed to convey ethical lessons about duty, hospitality, and the perils of commerce, resonating with the mercantile class that commissioned such works.