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

The calligrapher employed a flowing, naskh‑type hand, emphasizing legibility while integrating ornamental flourishes that intertwine with the letters. The ink is uniformly dark, and the paper exhibits a warm, aged hue; marginal doodles consist of simple geometric motifs that echo contemporary manuscript decoration.

The folio originates from a manuscript produced in the Persianate world, likely between the 16th and 18th centuries. It entered the museum collection through a mid‑20th‑century acquisition of South Asian and Middle Eastern manuscripts, though the precise previous owners are not recorded.

*Tuti‑nama* belongs to a genre of illustrated books that combined prose with ornamental calligraphy, serving both educational and entertainment purposes. Such works were often commissioned for elite patrons and used as exemplars of refined literary taste within courtly and scholarly circles.