Artifact World Gallery
Get the iOS app

Artwork

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

Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page, unspecified, 1560
Page from Tales of a Parrot (Tuti-nama): text page, unspecified, 1560

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 work is a painted page from the illustrated manuscript known as *Tales of a Parrot* (Tuti‑nama).

About this work

Overview

The work is a painted page from the illustrated manuscript known as *Tales of a Parrot* (Tuti‑nama). It is divided into two distinct registers: an upper scene set inside a richly decorated pavilion and a lower scene outdoors beneath a tree. The composition is populated by figures in vivid costume, rendered with intricate patterning and a palette of bright reds, yellows, oranges, and whites.

Subject & Meaning

The lower register shows a man in red brandishing a sword over a seated boy who holds a bird, the scene taking place beneath a tree canopy.

The upper register portrays four individuals gathered within a pavilion whose roof is painted red and edged with gold. A seated man in orange, cross‑legged and holding a fan, appears to be the focal point, accompanied by a kneeling figure in white, a woman in a patterned garment, and another man in yellow holding a staff. The lower register shows a man in red brandishing a sword over a seated boy who holds a bird, the scene taking place beneath a tree canopy.

Technique & Style

The page employs a flat, decorative style typical of Persian miniature painting, emphasizing bold outlines and saturated colors. Detailed textile patterns and architectural motifs are rendered with fine brushwork, while the figures are stylized rather than naturalistic, reflecting the manuscript’s narrative function.

History & Provenance

The illustration originates from a historic Persian storybook, suggesting a date in the early modern period when such illuminated manuscripts were produced for aristocratic patrons. The specific provenance of this page includes its acquisition by the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it forms part of the museum’s collection of Asian decorative arts.

Context

*Tales of a Parrot* is a collection of moral and romantic stories that were popular in Persian literary culture. Illustrated pages like this one served both decorative and didactic purposes, providing visual accompaniment to the text and reinforcing themes of courtly behavior and heroic action.

Artist & collection

VISUALLY SIMILAR

Similarity 100 percent
This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: Cleveland Museum of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.In the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Compiled & edited by , Editor & Founder.